Keeper of the Stars
by JoeMomma1214
Summary: Edward and Bella meet briefly while on vacation in Florida. They part ways, but can't forget each other. Will they see each other again?
1. Chapter 1: Songs About Me

**Author's Note: I own nothing but this very expensive computer that was required for school. I don't own the songs, artists, characters, yada, yada. Do you get the point?**

**Chapter One: Songs About Me**

**BPOV**

My name is Bella Swan. I am 23 years old, and just graduated college with a degree in English Literature. I live with my three best friends in the world, Alice, Rosalie (or Rose if she likes you), and Angela. We live in Seattle in a nice apartment in a nice neighborhood. I am about 5'4" and average looking… Boring brown hair and eyes, pale skin; the girls tease me saying that I am paler than a vampire!

I grew up in Phoenix with my mom after she left my dad. I moved to Forks my junior year of high school after mom remarried. Her husband, Phil, is a baseball player and has to travel. Mom was unhappy staying at home while he traveled, so I sent myself to live with my dad. That's where I met Alice, Rose, and Angela and we have been inseparable ever since. Forks was also where we met Jacob, our self appointed "brother." Whenever we need to get rid of a guy, like that vile Mike Newton, Jacob swoops in and scares away the scum. Jacob works at Rose's garage as one of her top mechanics.

I have been working two jobs while finishing school and I am staying with them until my writing takes off. Angela works with me at the bookstore, and also has another job as a photographer for the local newspaper. She is trying to open her own business as a photographer. Alice has her own fashion boutique, and Rose owns a mechanic shop. Since we have all been so busy, we are planning on taking a month-long-group vacation; we just haven't decided where we want to go.

Angela and I have more in common with each other than we do with Rose or Alice, but we all get along amazingly. We think of each other as sisters, just from different parents.

None of us have boyfriends, we just haven't met anyone that is worth our time, and we have all been quite busy with our studies and businesses. I have a hard time when it comes to meeting guys, because as my mom puts it, "I was born thirty five years old and that I get more middle-aged every year." The guys my age just don't have the same interests I do. I know someday I will meet the man I'm meant to spend my life with, sometimes I just wish that time was sooner rather than later.

**EPOV**

I'm Edward, Edward Cullen. I'm 28 years old, and have finally finished my residency. I live with my brothers Emmett and Jasper, and our buddy Ben. All four of us grew up together here in Chicago, and we have known Ben since grade school. Jasper's parents died in an accident when his mother was still pregnant with him. Both of his parents died in the accident, but they were able to save Jasper. My dad was on shift at the hospital and knew that he was all alone, so he called my mother. She drove to the hospital immediately and they started on the adoption process.

Emmet owns his own garage, Jasper is a psychiatrist, and Ben is an accountant. Our parents moved a few years ago to a very small town in Washington, and Ben's family moved to Florida about the same time our parents moved, so we have been looking at relocating. Emmett is currently working with someone that wants to buy his garage, so that is all we are waiting on. The rest of us have job offers in several different places, but I think we would all prefer moving to Seattle to be close to my parents.

Before we accept jobs anywhere, we all want to take a nice vacation. Some of our vacation will be spent in Florida with Ben's parents, and I have an interview at University of Florida & Shands hospital in Jacksonville. The rest of our vacation will be spent with my parents and I have two interviews there, one at Swedish/Ballard and the other at Northwest. All three interviews are for positions in the Emergency Department.

**End Note: What do you think? I have several chapters written in hopes that I can update often, but I am in school so we'll see what happens!**


	2. Chapter 2: Leaving on a Jet Plane

**AN: I don't own Edward, and while I don't own my husband, he calls me boss and gives me foot rubs... I can't complain!**

**Chapter Two: Leaving On a Jet Plane**

**BPOV**

Here we sit on our five-hour flight to Jacksonville. A few weeks ago, my mother and Phil had called and offered us their house on Jacksonville Beach. Phil had an out of town game the second week of our vacation, so he and mom wouldn't be around, but I would get to spend three weeks of my vacation with them, so I was excited.

I loved seeing my mother so happy and was very pleased that she found someone that could keep up with her, and keep her grounded. She was quite flighty. I know my dad still loved her and probably always would, but I still hoped that he would find someone that loved him back just as much. I was secretly wishing for the same thing for myself.

Alice shook me out of my thoughts by jumping up and down in her seat clapping and screeching, "I can't wait to shop, and see the Atlantic Ocean, and shop, and sunbathe… We are all going to find cute guys! Oh, we HAVE to shop! AAAAAHHHHH! I'm so excited! I can't wait to see your mom again Bella, it was so nice of her and Phil to offer their house to us!"

"Alice, calm down!" Rose, Angela, and I hissed all at the same time. We all burst out laughing at our weird sentence finishing connection. I think we were frightening the other passengers.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are about to begin our final descent to the JAX airport. Currently at JAX the weather is 89 degrees and sunny. We have certainly enjoyed having you on board today, we hope to see you again real soon, and thanks again for flying with us, and we hope you enjoy your time here in Florida," our captain crackled overhead. We all smiled at each other and fastened our seatbelts for our landing.

Once we landed we waited patiently for the other passengers to get their carry-on bags and make their way down the aisle. Once we were sure we wouldn't get mauled, we quickly grabbed our bags and rushed off the plane.

"I can't wait to see the sun, I have missed it so much," I said to the girls who all nodded their heads in agreement. We hurried to baggage claim to pick up our bags.

It didn't take us long to find our luggage thanks to Alice. "Aren't you all glad I bought you those luggage sets that you said were outlandish?" she asked, not really expecting us to answer… She already knew the answer. Yes, we were appreciative; we didn't want to stand around the airport any longer than we had to.

"Guys, my mom and Phil said they would meet us in front of the Enterprise desk, which is just down there." I said as soon as I saw the desk. "Can you see them?" I asked.

"There!" Alice yelled, "Standing next to that tree like thing!" I looked to where she was pointing and saw my mother, eyes twinkling, smiling at us girls. Phil was standing next to my mom with an old ratty baseball hat on, covering most of his face, and his arm draped over her shoulders. Phil had to try and disguise himself when he went out to avoid being recognized by over-zealous fans.

"Mom, I've missed you!" I squealed as I hugged her as tightly as possible. She hugged me right back and I felt Rose, Alice and Angela join us in our hug. Phil grabbed as many of our bags as he could and we ambled our way to the car.

Once Phil had all of our bags stuffed into the trunk, we were on our way to the beach house. "How was your flight?" Mom asked us.

"It was fine, other than Alice scaring the other passengers with her overabundance of energy!" Rose answered. We all laughed, having experienced Alice's energy in one form or another.

"I'm excited to be down here with my best friends! And I have a feeling that we are going to be putting 'Our Books' to use soon. Rose, Angela and I looked at Alice sceptically.

Growing up, we girls had put together books that detailed everything we wanted for our wedding. The only thing that was missing for each of us was the groom. And somehow, Alice thought this trip to Florida was going to bring us our grooms.

We pulled up to the house after about a 40 minute drive full of chit chat. We all climbed out of the car, stiff from both the plane and the drive from the airport, grabbed the bags Phil couldn't, and headed into the house.

Mom and Phil had renovated the attic of their house into a huge room that held four beds, and had a giant bathroom attached. I couldn't believe they did all of this work for us, it was beautiful! And the best part, in my opinion, was the balcony with stairs that led down to the beach. The view was spectacular, and would be very romantic if I only had a boyfriend to share it with. I was guessing that the best would be tonight, once the moon was out, its reflection glimmering on the water.

Great job Bella, way to get yourself all depressed! Wonderful, now I'm talking to myself…

"Let's head down to the beach!" Alice said pleasantly, pulling me out of my self-exiled depression. We all got changed into our bathing suits, and I ran downstairs to see if Mom and Phil wanted to come with us. Phil had to go to baseball practice, so Mom decided to hang with us down by the water. I grabbed a giant umbrella and towels for all of us while Mom got her suit on, and we headed down to the beach.

With my opaque skin, I had to slather on the SPF 900 while everyone else went with SPF 60. Once I had a nice thick coat of sunscreen on, I planted myself under an umbrella and settled in with the latest _Stephanie Plum _book. I loved Grandma Mazur, she always made me laugh, and Morelli and Ranger weren't anything to frown about either…

After an hour or so, I was pulled away from my book by the sound of giggling. I set my book down on the blanket, careful to keep my page, and looked around for the source of such joy. Two small children, a boy and a girl, where building a sand castle a few feet away from me. The little girl's pig tails were bouncing along with the rest of her little body, as she was pointing something out to the boy. He picked up the sea shell, and shyly handed it to her, then gave her a kiss on the cheek. I couldn't help but smile watching their little moment.

I lay back down and began to daydream about my own children. I know, you have to have a man first, yada yada. The children I pictured were beautiful, and perfect. And my subconscious pictured them with the most stunning green eyes I had ever seen.

**End Note: Should I throw it out with the cat litter, or keep going?**


	3. Chapter 3: Don't Wake Me Up

**AN: I don't own the characters, but I do own a massive amount of loans from school...**

**Chapter Three: Don't Wake Me Up**

**EPOV**

"Guys, hurry up, the cab is here!" I yelled up the stairs. I was waiting for the guys to get their bags so we could head to the airport. Our flight to Jacksonville was leaving in three hours and it was at least a 30 minute drive to get to the airport.

"Chill out Eddie, we're on our way down the stairs right now!" Emmett hollered back.

"It's Edward," I quietly grumbled. I had given up correcting him because it did no good, and proved to be a waste of energy.

Jasper was out the door first with his bag, and Ben right behind him. After waiting five more minutes, Emmett finally joined us in the cab.

"What took so long, Emmett?" Jasper asked.

"I couldn't find my condoms." Emmett replied.

"Emmett, you do realize that you can buy condoms in Jacksonville, right?" I asked, trying to keep from laughing.

"What, oh, uh, yeah, I just wanted MY condoms." He said, looking like that should have made perfect sense to us.

"Okay Em." We all replied.

Before we knew it, we were boarding our flight and on our way. I turned on my IPod and put my ear buds in. I knew that it was best if I couldn't hear Emmett. Jasper got stuck babysitting Emmett since they were seated next to each other, and he was the most calming. Ben read the whole flight, so it was great that we ended up seated together.

The flight was surprisingly uneventful, and I say surprisingly because of Emmett. It is a very rare occasion that he doesn't end up getting us into trouble for his shenanigans. We picked up our bags from baggage claim, picked up the rental car, and headed to the hotel. We were planning on getting settled and then heading to a local club this evening.

We got the penthouse suite with four separate rooms and a common area, which included a kitchen, living room, and a dining room. None of us wanted to share rooms, especially with Emmett and his condom-using activities.

We all decided to go find somewhere to eat before heading to the club. We ended up at a restaurant called _Fu King Chinese_, and yes, Emmett picked it out.

After ordering, we sat around bullshitting while we waited for our food. Then she walked in.

**BPOV**

Two weeks we have been in Florida, and I have dreamt about my imaginary children every night. I would wake up at the same point every night. I would hear them calling me Mommy; they would turn and look at me with their mysterious green eyes, sparkling with mischief and innocence, and the dream would end. Amazingly, I would wake up feeling my love for them, and missing them, and they were imaginary for crying out loud!

Alice and Rose had been bugging us since we got here about going to a club. Clubbing wasn't really something Angela or I enjoyed, but since Rose and Alice hadn't pushed it before now, we told them we'd go.

Rose and Alice played dress up with Angela and me, and after several hours of cruel and unusual punishment, we were ready to go to dinner. Rose picked a Chinese restaurant named _Fu King Chinese._Nice Rose.

We were seated quickly and ordered our drinks and food. I noticed that Rose kept looking over my shoulder, and smiling shyly. I never thought I would live to see a day when Rose would be shy. Before I could ask her what she was looking at, our food arrived. It was Fu King good too. I guess they picked a fitting name for their restaurant.

"What are you looking at Rose?" I asked as we were leaving.

"Nothing!" She answered quickly darting her eyes back to me.

"Sure," I said suspiciously as we piled into the car. The drive to the club was within walking distance to the house, but it was quite a distance from the restaurant, so we drove back to the house and walked to the club.

Breaking Dawn was a fairly new club in town, but it had great reviews, so we weren't surprised to see a long line waiting to get in.

"Watch me work my magic." Rose said confidently to us before she strode away. I could see her pull her skirt up a little higher and pull her top down to reveal more of her cleavage. After mere moments, she motioned us over, and we were let into the club.

"How did you do that Rose?" Alice asked immediately once we were inside.

"Eh, I told him I would tell all the cute girls in here that he is spectacular in the sack if he let us in, and here we are… so, if you see any cute girls, pass it on!" She said as she high-fived Alice.

"You are pure genius Rose, please teach me!" Alice cried as a waitress approached. We placed our drink orders and admired the club while we waited for the waitress to return. The music was good, and so before long, we were all out on the dance floor.

It was getting quite warm so we decided to take off our jackets. We were on our way back to our table to drop off our jackets when I had a very strong urge to look toward the bar. I saw a group of four guys standing at the bar. One was the size of a large grizzly, with black hair. Another was extremely tall with blonde hair, and the third guy was average height with dark brown hair. The fourth guy was the only one I couldn't see very well. I could see his glorious copper toned hair in mild disarray. I wondered how it would feel in between my fingers. He had to be at least 6'2", and I could see his back muscles straining against his tight t-shirt as he reached across the bar for his drink.

I turned back to the girls to ask if they had seen the guys at the bar, but I didn't need to ask. They were all gawking, openly, at the four guys at the bar. I secretly hoped none of them were looking at Mr. Copper Hair, because there was no way I could compare to any of them.

"C'mon girls, let's go dance some more!" I took a swig of my drink, and grabbed a hand. I'm not sure whose hand it was, but they grabbed someone else, and we all ended up dancing again.

I kept trying to find the bronze haired guy again, but never could find him, so eventually; I gave up and just danced with my girls. After dancing for several more hours, we decided to head back home.

Again, I dreamt of my imaginary children, but this time, instead of just the mysterious green eyes, they had beautiful bronze hair. But unlike their eyes, I knew exactly where the bronze hair came from.

**End Note: Well?**


	4. Chapter 4: Bust a Move

**AN/Disclaimer: I still own nothing, but I am almost finished with my Christmas shopping! And it's snowing like crazy here, so I hope everyone is staying warm where ever you are!**

**Chapter Four: Bust a Move**

**EPOV**

She was breathtakingly beautiful, which was an understatement. But, it was the best thing I could come up with to describe her. Her hair was like a river of rich milk chocolate, and her beautiful brown eyes were like a key to her soul. She looked so pure, innocent, but with a spark of fire buried underneath. I doubted that very many people got to see her fire.

It looked like she was with her friends; they were laughing and having a good time. She looked unbelievably happy, like she didn't have a care in the world except for enjoying the company of her friends.

Sadly, when they sat down at their booth, her back was to me, so all I could do was steal glances at the back of her head. I did notice her tall blonde friend shyly smiling at Emmett. I looked over at him and noticed that he would look down at the table any time she caught him looking at her.

"Is Emmett The Great actually intimidated?" I asked, shocked.

"Well, look at her!" he said.

"She's amazing." He whispered.

Before I could question him anymore, our food arrived. The place actually had really good food, and we finished our meals quickly. We paid our tab, and climbed into a cab to head over to Breaking Dawn.

We ended up having to wait in line at the club, and I noticed the brown haired goddess immediately when she walked up with her friends. The blonde one went up to the bouncer and he immediately let the girls in. I turned around to ask Emmett if he saw them but none of the guys had noticed the girls; they were too busy talking sports.

We finally were let into the club after waiting for half an hour and we sauntered up to the bar and ordered our drinks. I kept looking around for the beautiful woman, but never could find her. I was depressed when we left, and thankfully the guys just ignored me. They knew to just leave me be when I started brooding.

By the time we got back to the hotel, I was exhausted. I went to the bathroom and took a shower to get rid of the club smell, and then climbed into bed. She was the only thing I in my dreams and boy where those dreams spectacular.

When morning arrived, I really didn't want to get up, but I had an interview, so I had to. I hurriedly got ready and ran out the door. The elevator ride down was silent, so I had more time to think about the beauty that had hijacked my thoughts, asleep and awake. I wondered if she was like all the other beautiful women I had come across in my life. You know, beautiful on the outside, ugly on the inside, and would break down if you put her in a round room and told he to sit in the corner. I knew I wanted to be with a woman that I could really talk to, discuss the news, and politics, but also just be myself around. Good luck finding that Edward, I told myself.

**BPOV**

I awoke in the morning to the sound of pots and pans in the kitchen. I hoped it was Rose or Angela and not Alice. Alice was great when it came to fashion, but she couldn't make a bowl of cereal without burning down the house. I know, you don't need heat or fire to make cereal, tell that to Alice. I also was hoping that it wasn't my mother either; she was almost as bad as Alice, almost.

I hurried down the stairs to see who was in the kitchen, and was thankful to find that it was Angela and Rose.

"Where's Al?" I questioned.

"Shopping." Angela and Rose said in sync. We all started giggling.

"I'm going to go get ready." I told the girls as I headed up the stairs. I quickly showered and dressed, put on a little mascara, and blow dried my hair. I was on my way back downstairs to the kitchen when my cell phone rang. I noticed the number was a local number, but not one I recognized.

"Hello?" I answered suspiciously.

"May I speak to Isabella Swan?" The unfamiliar voice on the other end asked.

"This is she." I replied.

"Miss Swan, this is Shands Hospital. There's been an accident…."

**AN: I know, shorter than previous chapters, but I had to end it there!**


	5. Chapter 5: So Small

**AN/Disclaimer: Still own nothing, but the good grade I got on my final! Yay! E and B finally meet... under bad circumstances, but they meet! Is anyone still with me?**

**Chapter Five: So Small**

**EPOV**

The interview went well, but I wasn't sure that this was the hospital I wanted to work at. It was a nice place, but I just didn't feel like it was where I fit in this world. I left the office, and headed away from the emergency department and toward the parking lot. I was rounding the corner when something soft and delicate smashed into me, and dropped to the floor. I quickly helped her up from her spot on the floor.

"Are you alr…." I started to ask if she was alright, but then she looked at me, and it was HER! My breath left my body in a gasp, and I could have sworn I heard her gasp too. Looking at her this closely, I could see that her eyes and cheeks were puffy and red, with black streaks down to her chin. She had been crying, and for some reason, knowing this made my chest hurt.

"I'm sorry, I've got to go," she said, her voice cracking toward the end. She pulled out of my arms, and started down the hallway.

"Is everything okay?" I asked her retreating form.

"No." I heard her whisper. I couldn't leave her when I knew something was wrong, so I followed her back to the ER. When she got to the triage window I heard the words mother and accident. The nurse told her to have a seat in the waiting room and left the desk. The beautiful woman sat down and placed her head in her hands. I quietly sat next to her.

"Would you like some company?" I asked. She looked up at me, startled, but before she could answer, the nurse from the triage desk returned.

"Miss Swan?" She asked. The beautiful swan slowly stood and walked toward the nurse.

"Your mother and her husband were hit by a drunk driver. Your mother has a broken fibula and tibia, several broken ribs, and a hemothorax. The hemothorax requires a tube thoracostomy. We will allow you to come back to her room as soon as the tube is placed. Her husband has a few cuts that require stitches." The nurse said hurriedly, and then walked away. Wow, she was caring I thought to myself glumly. I stood and made my way over to _her_. She stood completely still, with a look of shock on her face.

I slowly walked over to her a knelt down a little so she could see my face.

"Why don't you sit down for a minute?" I asked as I led her back over to the chairs. She slumped down into the chair and slowly brought her eyes up to meet mine. God she was beautiful.

"What did she say?" she asked me quietly.

"Did you want it in English this time?" I joked trying to get her to smile. One corner of her mouth lifted slightly as she nodded.

"I'm so sorry about your mother. From what I heard, your mother has blood in the cavity surrounding her lung. This makes it very hard to breathe, and blood loss is also a concern. She has to have a tube put in her chest to drain the blood from around her lung, so that her lung can expand and she can breathe. She may need a blood transfusion depending on how much blood she has lost. She has also broken both bones in her lower leg. I haven't seen the X-rays so I don't know how badly her leg is broken. They will tell you more once you are allowed in the room." I told her.

She looked even more shocked than she had before.

"Thank you for explaining that for me. How do you know all that?" She questioned.

"My name is Edward." I told her as I held out my hand. "I'm a doctor."

"Bella," she replied, slowly shaking my hand. Holding her small hand in mine felt perfect, and I found myself not wanting to let her hand go. She didn't pull her hand back from my grasp, so I let our hands fall onto the arm rest between us, and caressed the back of her hand with my thumb.

"Do you work here?"

"No, I actually live in Chicago; I came down with my friends and was here for an interview."

"Do you happen to have a phone I can borrow?" She asked me shyly.

"Of course," I said as I handed her my cell phone.

"Thank you, I left in such a hurry, I must have dropped it." She said quietly.

"It's no problem at all," I assured her, smiling. "I'm happy I'm here to help you."

She quickly made her phone call and handed my phone back to me.

"Thank you again. I had to let my friends know why I left in such a hurry."

"Are they on their way?" I asked as she nodded slightly.

"Would you like me to wait with you until they get here, Bella?" I asked her.

She looked up at me, shocked yet again.

"Would you mind?" She asked.

"Not even a little bit." I said confidently. It was 100 percent true.

**BPOV**

I don't remember much about leaving the house after answering my phone. I think I broke every speed limit on the drive to the hospital, and I'm pretty sure that the car was parked illegally. And then I ran. Right into a wall of glorious bronze hair and stunning green eyes. Wait, green eyes?

OHMYGOD! My brain screamed as I gasped. His eyes were the exact same eyes that my imaginary children had, and the bronze hair too!

I scrambled out an apology and continued toward the ER. I walked up to the triage desk, gave the nurse my information and asked about my mother's condition. She told me to have a seat in the waiting room and then she was gone.

I slumped down into a chair covered my face with my hands. I was startled out of my thoughts by a sexy voice asking if I wanted some company. I was about to reply when the nurse returned.

"Miss Swan?"

I stood and made my way over to the nurse. She hurried through the list of problems in medical jargon, and then walked away. I had no idea what was wrong with my mother, but I knew I wasn't allowed in the room yet. I stood trying to pull anything useful from the conversation.

I felt a tingling in my arm and opened my eyes to find the glorious man in front of me asking me to sit down. He gently grasped my arm and led me back to the chairs we had recently vacated.

I sat down and thought for another moment. Maybe he had heard what Nurse Ratchet had said.

"What did she say?" I questioned him. He cracked a joke to try to lighten the mood, and it worked, slightly. Then he explained everything the nurse had said. It was comforting to know exactly what was going on with my mom.

When he finished, and I recovered from my shock at his extensive knowledge, I thanked him for dumbing it down for me, and asked about why he knew all of that information. He introduced himself then as Edward, Edward the doctor.

He's gorgeous, got a fantastic body (I felt it quite well when I tried to run him down), and he's a doctor? WOW!

We chit-chatted a little more, and I borrowed his phone to call Rose. The girls were all quite mad that I just left without bringing them with me, or even telling them what was going on, but they understood that I was a more than a little frantic after receiving the phone call.

I was amazed when Edward offered to stay with me until the girls arrived. It was then that I noticed our hands were still clasped together tightly on the armrest, and I enjoyed the feeling of my hand in his a little too much.

**AN: So, did you like their encounter? It's not over yet...**


	6. Chapter 6: Somebody Get Me a Doctor

**AN/Disclaimer: I own nothing, nada, zip, zilch, nix, nulla...**

**Chapter Six: Somebody Get Me a Doctor**

**BPOV**

"Miss Swan," the nurse called me up to the triage window.

"You can come back and see your mother now, she is stable, but she is going to have to go to surgery for her leg." She handed me a sticker with a 12 on it. "Your mom is in Room 12, you must wear this guest pass to get in. Is your friend going with you?" She asked, pointing to Edward.

I really didn't want to be alone when I saw my mom, so I headed over to Edward.

"Would…. Um, would you come with me?" I asked nervously. He looked surprised by my question, but quickly controlled his shock and stood. He motioned for me to lead the way, so I headed back over to the nurse at the desk. She handed me a second sticker for Edward, and opened the double doors leading into the emergency department.

The nurse met us on the other side of the doors and gave us directions to Room 12. It was easy to find, especially with the giant 12 in front of it.

I walked in the doors and around the privacy curtain, and immediately wished I could be back in bed before all of this happened. My mom looked broken. I tried to prevent the sob from leaving my throat, but I must not have succeeded, because I felt Edward wrap his arms around me comfortingly.

I turned my body toward him and let myself cry. His hold on me tightened slightly and his hand came up to cradle the back of my head. I felt protected in his arms, and there was no awkwardness even though we had known each other a mere 30 minutes. He was making calming noises and rubbing my back comfortingly.

I slowly raised my head from his chest and looked up at him. I was surprised to see a pained look on his face, but that didn't compare to the shock I felt when he kissed my forehead and told me that everything would be okay.

I turned away from him to examine my mom again, more closely this time. Her face was the only part of her I could see, the rest of her was covered in blankets. I could see various wires and tubes that went underneath the blanket, and I could see the oxygen tubing under her nose. I then looked at the monitor that showed her blood pressure and pulse.

I looked back to Edward.

"How are her vital signs?" I asked, pointing to the monitor.

"They are all really good Bella. Her blood pressure is a little high, but nothing worthy of much concern." He replied.

Before I could ask any more questions, and older man came in the door.

"Miss Swan?" He asked calmly.

"Yes?" I replied taking a small step toward the man.

"I'm Dr. Green. I've been taking care of your mother since the ambulance brought her in. She is stable now, but needs to go to surgery for her broken leg."

Before I could respond, Edward starting asking the doctor questions about my mother's condition. It was all in doctor speak, so I couldn't understand much until Edward asked if we could see the X-ray of her leg.

Dr. Green agreed and said he would be back with the film. I immediately turned to Edward, but before I could ask him what the doctor said, he started filling me in.

"I was just confirming that she was stable. He said that the chest tube is draining and she is breathing well, as we can see from her oxygen saturation right here." He said, pointing to a number on the monitor.

"Her oxygen saturation is 97% on 2 liters of oxygen. We want that to be above 90%, but its best if it's above 95%. As I said before, all of her other vital signs look good. Her X-ray will tell us how major her surgery will have to be."

Dr. Green came back into the room then with the film, and placed it over the light box and flipped the switch. I could easily see the breaks in her bones.

"Her break isn't serious, so we have splinted her leg until she goes into surgery in a few hours. We will be admitting her for at least a few weeks. Her husband is doing well, and I'll be bringing him in here shortly. I believe you have visitors at the triage window also, but only two people are allowed in the room at a time." Dr. Green said before he left.

"Do you have any questions, Bella?" Edward asked quietly. I shook my head no, and turned to look at him.

"I'll head out to the waiting room so that someone else can come back." He said, even more quiet than he had been before. I wanted to ask him to stay, but I didn't want to make him feel awkward. I was surely keeping him from something more important.

"Thank you so much Edward, I don't know what I would have done if you wouldn't have been here." I asked, instead of the real question I wanted to ask, which was if he would wait for me in the waiting room.

"I'm very relieved that you weren't here alone." He replied. He looked like he wanted to say something more, but he clamped his mouth shut and walked out of the room.

**EPOV**

It was unbelievably difficult to walk out of that room and away from Bella, but she needed her friends. I kept telling myself that she would have asked me to stay if she wanted me to, so I needed to go.

I headed back the way we came and back out to the waiting room. I recognized her blonde friend immediately and started in her direction.

"Excuse me," I interrupted her, "Are you Bella's friends?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.

"Yes?" The pixie-like woman responded questioningly.

"You'll need this to get into the room," I told them as I handed them the little yellow sticker, "and they only allow two visitors in the room at a time." I finished.

"Thank you." The blonde said quickly before snatching the sticker out of my hand and stalking away.

I glanced at my watch to see that I was late to meet the guys, so instead of waiting for Bella in the waiting room, I headed back out to the parking lot.

**AN: Anyone still with me?**


	7. Chapter 7: Here Without You

**AN/Disclaimer: I don't own anything Twlight or otherwise. Moto Moto means hot hot… It's from Madagascar 2. Here's a link for a little bit of Moto Moto! (Remove the spaces)**

**http://www . youtube . com/watch?v=lXoYXE6d8ZU**

**I also want to add that the title of each chapter is a song title, but the lyrics don't always fit the chapters...**

**Chapter Seven: Here Without You**

**EPOV**

By the time I met up with the guys, they were pretty pissed at me for being late. Once I explained what happened, I thought they would be okay, so I was surprised when they were even angrier with me.

"You just left?" Jazz questioned me as Emmett was going on about me being a douche or something of the sort.

"What was I supposed to do? Stalk her in the waiting room while her mother is in surgery?" I asked.

"No!" They all shouted. I waited quietly for them to tell me what they thought I should have done.

"Offer her your shoulder to cry on, comfort her…" Jasper and Ben provided.

Emmett quickly added his two cents, which were completely unwanted, "Maybe find an empty room and give her a little lovin!" He said much too loud for our current environment.

"Emmett, shut up!" We all hollered. We were too loud, but at least we weren't being obscene. I quickly decided that this conversation was over and said so.

We paid our tab and left the restaurant. Jazz pulled me to the side before we got to the car.

"You could have called and cancelled with us man!" He informed me.

"Yeah, I thought about it, but I didn't want to make her feel awkward if I stuck around and she didn't want me there. She didn't ask me to stay, so I didn't." I replied.

"Fair enough, but I hope you find her again…" He tapered off there, knowing he didn't need to verbalize the fact that I had never really shown an interest in women before.

"Me too, Jazz, me too." I said climbing into the car.

**BPOV**

I heard Alice, and Rose before I saw any of the girls. They were arguing with the nurses about all three of them coming back to the room. I was more than a little surprised when all three of them came rushing into the room with a nurse hot on their trail.

"We just want to be here for our mom and sister," Rose cried. She ran over to me and swept me into a huge hug.

"Can't you let us all stay in our mom's room?" Alice begged. I couldn't see her face, but from the look on the nurse's face, she was using her perfected Ali pout. It must have worked because the nurse turned to leave.

"Don't cause any trouble or I will call security to kick all four of you out." She admonished before she left. The next thing I knew, I was the center of a group hug.

"She's stable, but they have to take her to surgery for a broken leg." I informed the girls. "I guess she was pretty bad when they brought her in. She had blood in the cavity surrounding one of her lungs, which was putting pressure on her lung and making it hard for her to breathe. They had to put a chest tube in to drain the blood and allow her to breathe."

"Phil should be discharged any time now; he had a few cuts that needed stitches." I finished just as Phil walked into the room.

"Did they tell you about mom?" I questioned him. He nodded grimly.

"We were hit by a drunk driver. He walked away from the scene unscathed." Phil spat, disgustedly.

I noticed he had grabbed one of mom's hands and was gripping it tightly, and he quickly wiped a tear off his cheek.

I motioned the girls to follow me out of the room to give him some privacy. We headed back to the waiting room. I was secretly hoping we would find Edward waiting there.

Though I hoped, I wasn't surprised to see the waiting room empty when we got there. I sighed dejectedly, but the girls chose to ignore it.

We sat down and talked a little more about mom before Rose interrupted.

"Okay, now tell us what was up with Mr. Moto Moto…" she said excitedly. I laughed at her use of a quote from one of my movies.

"The name's so nice you say it twice," I quoted back to her.

"I ran into Edward coming to the ER," I said and quickly added, "literally."

The girls snickered at me admitting my clumsiness.

"And?" Alice questioned, her excitement escalating.

"And he's very nice, a doctor, and he lives in Chicago." I said hoping to end the conversation.

"Did you get his number?" Angela asked, surprising me by ending her silence.

"No." I said sadly.

"It's alright honey, I have no doubt you'll see him again!" Alice said cheerfully.

"I sure hope so Ali."

**AN: Dun, dun, dun... will Bella see Edward again or was this their only chance? Do you want them to have another chance? Review to let me know!**


	8. Chapter 8: What Hurts The Most

******AN/Disclaimer: I would love to own Edward, but sadly, he belongs to Stephenie Meyer... Do you think she'd let me borrow him? I would share! :)**

**Chapter Eight: What Hurts the Most**

**EPOV**

The rest of our time in Florida passed quickly and uneventfully. Sadly, I didn't see Bella again before we left. I thought about taking the job there just to get the chance to run into her again, but decided that I would be miserable there and declined the position.

The guys agreed that this just wasn't the place for us, so we all boarded our plane to Seattle. I think they could tell that I was bummed about not seeing Bella, since they left me to be miserable by myself.

Our flight was thankfully quick and painless. We grabbed our bags and headed to the rental desk.

Once we had our car rented, we tossed our bags in the trunk and climbed in for our drive to Forks, the tiny little town our parents had moved to.

The drive was pleasant, but wet. When we arrived, mom was standing in the open doorway nearly jumping up and down in excitement.

"Hi, Mom!" We all hollered as we grabbed out bags from the trunk. We rushed inside to get out of the rain, and were quickly wrapped up in hugs from mom.

"Calm down honey," dad said from the bottom of the stairs. Once mom calmed down we all sat down in the living room and talked about our time in Florida and upcoming interviews.

I heard Emmett asking dad about garages around the area.

"I've heard the Chief of Police bragging about one of the garages in Seattle, do you want me to get the name of it for you?" Dad asked Emmett.

"Yeah, it'd be great to get an idea of the garages around town." He replied. Dad stood from the couch.

"I'll go call him now." He said. He grabbed a cordless phone and sat back down. We all quieted down as to not interrupt his phone call. I was noticed that dad didn't have a number written down anywhere, so he must have had the number memorized.

His brow furrowed after a few moments.

"Yes, I'm looking for Chief Charlie Swan; do I have the right number?" He asked the person on the other line. He smiled at the answer he received, and gave a small laugh.

"You must be the famous Isabella." He inquired. He listened for a moment.

"Okay, Bella it is." My breath caught in my throat at the name, and I quickly looked up at my dad. He didn't notice and kept on with his conversation, but I noticed mom looking at me questioningly. I ignored her so that I could concentrate on the conversation closely.

"Yes, thank you. It was nice to talk to you Bella, I've heard a lot about you." I heard dad say. There was a long pause, and I couldn't tell if he was listening to someone, or waiting.

"Hello Charlie. How are you doing this evening?" Dad asked.

"Yes, I got to talk to Bella, she's very nice….. My son's are looking at moving to Seattle, and I remember you talking about a garage a while back. One of my sons just sold his garage back in Chicago and is looking for a new one. I was hoping you would give the name of the one you recommend; maybe he can get together with the owner….. Do you have the number?" Dad scribbled furiously as the person on the other end quoted the number.

"Thanks Charlie, I owe you. You need a fishing buddy anytime soon?" He paused, waiting for a response.

"Sure, Saturday sounds great; I'll see you bright and early!" He exclaimed. We all waited patiently for him to finish his conversation. When he hung up he was still shaking his head and laughing.

"Charlie says The Mangled Muffler is the best place this side of the Mississippi. Here's the number and address." He said handing the paper over to Emmett.

"I think he said the owner's name is Ross, or Russ, or something like that. Anyone want to go fishing on Saturday?" He asked. I hadn't been fishing since I was small, so I agreed. The other guys agreed after making sure there would be enough room for all of us.

We ate dinner, and then went our separate ways. I nearly ran to the piano. Since that day in the hospital, I'd had a tune in my head, and I wanted to get it out. I warmed up by playing some of my favorites, and then started in on the new tune.

I kept hitting a dead end, so I decided to just play some _Claire De Lune. _It always calms me down. I finished playing and saw mom across the room, so I quickly started up on her song. She loves it when I play it. She smiled brightly as soon as she recognized the first few chords.

When I finished her son, she sat down on the bench next to me.

"So what was with the weird look you gave your father when he was talking to Charlie?" She questioned immediately.

"Geez mom, way to ease into it there." I chuckled. She simply raised her eyebrow, waiting for me to actually answer her question. I sighed knowing the only way out was to answer.

"I met an amazing woman back in Florida. Her name is Bella Swan, and I ran into her in the hospital. She was there because her mother was in an accident. The nurse wasn't very kind in explaining what was wrong, so I translated for her. She asked me to go with her to see her mom because she left without her friends." I turned and looked at my mother.

"Mom, I don't know how to explain it. It felt so… right, to hold her when she cried. Now I feel empty." I sighed, thinking I sounded crazy.

"Sweetheart," my mother started. She waited until I lifted my face and looked at her.

"That's exactly how I feel about your father. You need to find Bella, honey. She is a beautiful woman, and it sounds like she is your other half." She said, then stood and walked away.

I went up to my room thinking about what mom had said. Could Bella be to me what dad was for mom? I certainly hoped so.

**AN: Well, what do you think?**


	9. Chapter 9: I Pray For You

**AN: You guys are seriously depressing me right now... Not a single review... At least review it and tell me to quit boring you guys to death. Ah, that must be the problem, I put you all to sleep before you get to the review button!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Here is a link to the song used in the title. It's a great song. (remove spaces, or you'll get an ugly error page!)**

**http://www . youtube . com/watch?v=54y8NyMiPVc**

**Chapter Nine: I Pray For You**

**BPOV**

Mom's surgery went well, as well as her time in the hospital. Phil stayed at the hospital the entire duration of her stay, unless he was at their house preparing for her to go home. I was able to chase him out a couple times so that he could go home and shower or sleep comfortably.

He was unbelievably devoted to caring for my mother. If I hadn't already loved him like a father, that certainly would have done it for me. I knew my mother was in great hands, so when they encouraged me to return home on schedule, I only protested a little. I was anxious to get back home.

As soon as we arrived back at our house in Seattle, I started on my laundry. As soon as it was done, I repacked my bag, hugged and kissed all the girls and said goodbye. I got into my monster of a truck, and got on the road to Forks, I was going to see Charlie.

The drive was rainy, but that was nothing new, and before I knew it, I was pulling into the familiar driveway behind the cruiser. Dad opened the door immediately and stood on the stoop out of the rain. I quickly grabbed my bag and ran for the shelter of the porch.

Dad scooped me into a big hug as soon as I was within arm's reach. He may not have been very open with his emotions, but he was always somewhat emotional when he would see me again after having been away.

"You look good Bells." I smiled politely as this was Charlie's standard greeting. It didn't matter that I had been on an airplane for hours on end, just to get into a car and drive for four hours. I was sure I was a mess.

"Thanks Dad," I replied as I ducked my head, trying to hide my blush.

" How's Renee?" My parents had been divorced for a long time, and it was quite hard on Charlie for a while. I was very thankful when he finally moved on. He had been dating Sue for almost a year now. Her son Seth was like a brother to all us girls, and even Jake.

"Mom was doing well when I left. Phil has worked very hard to get their house ready for her to be discharged. He even called a company and arranged for a nurse to be on-call for them 24/7 until she's better." I informed him.

"Wow," he said as he exhaled sharply. "That's got to cost a pretty penny!"

"I'm sure it does Dad. Let's get out of the rain. Have you eaten supper yet?" I asked as I glanced at my watch. It was only 4pm, so I doubted he had eaten.

"Nope, I was waiting for you to amaze me with your culinary expertise." He replied smiling brightly. He said it knowing it would embarrass me.

"Well let's see what supplies you have for me, shall we?" I asked heading into the kitchen. I quickly scanned the cupboards and fridge, finding nothing useful. Well, nothing useful unless we wanted beer for supper.

"It looks like a trip to the grocery store is in… store." I said laughing to myself. I grabbed my keys and let Charlie know I was heading out.

"Any requests?" I asked.

"Somethin' good." He replied, barely taking his attention away from the game on television. I got in my car and headed down to the store. Nothing ever changed in Forks, so I knew exactly where the grocery store was… The same place it's always been, right next to Charlie's favorite restaurant.

I parked my truck in the nearly vacant parking lot and hopped out. Since it was still raining, and running and I have a hate-hate relationship, I hurriedly, but carefully, made my way to the entrance. I grabbed a cart, threw my purse into the kiddy seat part, and headed down one of the aisles.

I decide on lasagna for dinner since it's one of Charlie's favorites. I am heading toward the aisle with pasta when my phone rings. I'm frantically searching my purse for my ringing phone while still pushing the cart, I know, bright idea.

Just as I locate my phone, CRASH! I looked up, startled, to see that I'd driven my cart into someone else's cart. The someone else being Esme Cullen. I had met Esme several times, but never any other members of her family.

"Mrs. Cullen, I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going!" I said frantically and I could tell she was trying to hold in a laugh.

"Oh, dear, it's fine. I wasn't watching either! How have you been dear?" She asked. I informed her about Renee, and our vacation. And she told me about how all her boys were coming to visit her.

We talked for a few minutes before saying our goodbyes and finishing shopping. I paid for the groceries and climbed back into my truck. I got back to Charlie's and started on dinner. I don't think he even noticed me come in.

"Dinner was great Bells," he said heading back into the living room to watch some more baseball. I cleaned up the kitchen and decided to head upstairs. My extremely long day was definitely catching up to me.

I think I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow, dreaming of Edward and my beautiful bronze-haired, green-eyed children.

The next day, while Charlie was at work, I cleaned the entire house. I was so busy that I forgot to stop and eat lunch, so when Charlie got home and suggested pizza for dinner, I quickly agreed. I took a quick shower after calling the pizza place. Just as I reached the bottom of the stairs, the phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered. There was a long pause before I heard a man saying he was looking for Charlie and asking if he had the right number. I informed him that he did have the right number, and I was Charlie's daughter.

"You must be the famous Isabella." The man said.

"Bella, please," I nearly begged.

"Bella it is." He said laughing. I told him I would get Charlie on the phone. He thanked me and said he'd heard a lot about me. Great, I thought, I wonder what Charlie has been saying now.

Just as Charlie grabbed the phone, the doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of our pizza. I paid the delivery kid and brought the pizza into the kitchen in time to hear Charlie talking about Rose's shop. I hoped he was sending her customers.

He quickly finished his conversation saying that he would see the man on Saturday morning. I figured that meant he was going fishing.

"That was Carlisle Cullen." He said, grabbing a piece of pizza.

"I ran into Esme at the store. She is such a nice woman." I told him.

"The whole family is nice," he replied.

"All boys, and I never have trouble with them when they visit. In fact, I think they took care of your Newton friend the last time they visited. He got rough with a girl that visited with them, and they taught him a lesson." He said shaking his head.

"She said they were coming to visit her when I saw her at the store." I told him.

"Oh good, maybe they'll come fishing with us." He said excitedly. Wow, I had never seen him this excited. We finished our pizza and I cleaned up the small mess in the kitchen. I sat in the living room with Charlie for a few minutes before telling him goodnight and heading upstairs.

I got ready for bed and packed anything that I wouldn't need in the morning. I lay awake in bed for a long time wondering where Edward was and what he was doing. My last thoughts before sleep consumed me, was about how amazing it felt when he held me.

**AN: Hello? Anyone still with me? **

**Surprise POV next chapter! Who's do you think it will be?**


	10. Chapter 10: Bleed

**AN: A short teaser/chapter before I leave town tomorrow. It's a cliffie! :)**

**A huge/gigantic, Emmett sized THANK YOU goes out to trs1 for giving me my very first review. I am so happy that she likes the story! **

**Here's the link for the song lyrics:**

**http://www . lyricsfreak . com/p/pixies/bleed_**

**I couldn't NOT use this song, it's by The Pixies, and it talks of a vampire!**

**Chapter Ten: Bleed**

**BPOV**

The drive from Forks back to Seattle seemed to take forever. When I pulled in the driveway, it was empty, so I knew everyone else must have been at work. I got my suitcase in the house, started a load in the washer, and went to bed.

Two months had passed since I visited Forks. Since then, I had mailed several of my books out to various publishers. I had yet to hear back from all of them. I knew it took a lot to get published, but that doesn't mean you can't hope.

We had all been busy at work since we took so much time off for our vacation. Jake had kept Rose's shop running smoothly, but she had a sudden influx of customers after we got back. I figured it was just that everyone had started telling their friends about her place.

I couldn't have been happier for her and Alice. Both of their businesses were doing well, as Alice was also getting quite a bit of business. Angela was busy with her two jobs and trying to start her own business. Unfortunately, Angela's expertise was in taking pictures and not starting a business.

On the drive back from Forks, I had decided to leave my second job and just stay with Angela at the bookstore. I wanted to spend more time with Grammies Marie, while we still had time.

Right now, I was working on supper. Jake was coming over with a woman he was dating. She was new to the area, and he wanted to make a good impression. He asked me to make his favorite, pot roast with mashed potatoes and gravy.

I had the roast in the oven, and was cutting up the potatoes and dancing to _Paralyzer _by _Finger Eleven_. I jumped when I was grabbed from behind, slicing three of my fingers on my left hand. The minute I saw the blood oozing from my fingers, I booked a first class flight to Lala Land. Passengers, please buckle your seat belts, we are ready for takeoff…

**AN: Who made Bella cut her fingers? Toon in next week for the answer! (Yes, next week. We are leaving tomorrow to go see my family. I will be back next Monday or Tuesday!) I hope everyone has a Safe and Happy New Year!**


	11. Chapter 11: Something Stupid

**AN: I know I said there would be a surprise POV in the last chapter, but I moved it to this chapter. I wanted to leave you guys with a cliffy, so I had to break the chapter up. Anyways, here's the surprise POV.**

**Thanks to trs1 for beta-ing for me! You guys get this chapter early because of her!**

**Chapter Eleven: Something Stupid**

**Jake POV**

SHIT! What the hell was I thinking grabbing Bella while she was using a knife?

I grabbed a towel and wrapped it tightly around her bleeding hand, then picked her up.

"I turned off the oven." Leah, my girlfriend, said from behind me.

"Thanks babe." I replied, "I'm sorry I ruined dinner."

"Let's not worry about dinner; we need to get her to the ER!" She said quickly. I nodded my head in response. Leah held open the front door for me and I kissed her cheek as I carried Bella to the car.

We pulled up to the emergency entrance and I lifted a still unconscious Bella out of the car. I informed the triage nurse of what happened and they had me bring her back to a room immediately.

They took her vital signs and told me that they looked good. A woman with a laptop came in and asked for Bella's information. I gave her everything that I knew and she was able to pull up Bella's file.

A nurse waved something under Bella's nose while another nurse listened to her heart and lungs. Bella's eyes fluttered open. She scanned the room quickly before her eyes connected with mine.

"Jake, what happened?" she asked weakly.

"I scared you while you were cutting the potatoes and you cut your fingers. You passed out when you saw the blood." I informed her.

"Ugh." She said, and then laid her head back down on the pillow.

I opened my cell phone to call the girls and let them know about what happened. One of the nurses told me that I couldn't use my cell phone while in the ER, so I exited to the room and headed back towards to waiting room.

**EPOV**

It had been two months since we moved to Seattle. I really enjoyed my job in the ER here at Northwest, and living in Seattle was much better than Chicago. It was very nice to live closer to mom and dad, but not so close that they would show up whenever they pleased. Mom had helped us get our place decorated quite nicely. She didn't feminize it too much, but just enough that it wasn't a total bachelor pad.

It was a very unique house. We each had our own living room, bedroom, bathroom, and entrance/exit door. The only areas that were shared were the kitchen and a giant living room. Mom said the kitchen was very nice. Let's be honest, we're a bunch of single guys, we only use the kitchen for beer, cereal, and frozen pizza.

We had all gotten jobs except for Emmett. He was having trouble finding a garage to buy. We kept bugging him about calling the Mangled Muffler and talking to the Ross guy, but he refused. Though I think he was almost to the point of calling, out of desperation.

I still thought about Bella all the time. I couldn't help but wonder where she was, what she was doing, and if she was okay. I had been dreaming about her, and some of those dreams were not rated PG-13. Okay, so it was most of them. Can you blame me? She's unbelievably sexy, and I am a guy.

Most of the time, I would wake up from those dreams and have to take care of a little something. Wait, not a little something, a BIG something.

I had just finished my shift in the ER and was completing my charting on my last patient when I felt an inexplicable, yet compelling force drawing me to one of the patient rooms. It was strange, but good, and I couldn't escape the overwhelming curiosity to find out what was I unwittingly being drawn to. I was almost to the door of the room when a large russet-skinned man came out. Wait, is that Jake?

"Jake?" I questioned?

He turned quickly and came over to me.

"Is Leah okay?" I asked, panicking.

"Yes, she's in the waiting room. I scared my friend while she was using a knife and she cut her fingers. She passed out when she saw the blood. Leah's out in the waiting room, I'm going back out to her." He said quickly, before walking away.

Leah had moved out here with us from Chicago, and started dating Jake soon after. He came over to hang out with us quite often, and I figured since it was Jake's friend, I would go check on her.

I knocked on the door to the room and entered. As soon as I saw the patient, all of the air left my lungs in a large whoosh. Oh god, it was Bella! She looked a little pale, and there was a sheen of sweat across her forehead, but she still looked beautiful. Her eyes were closed so I continued to stare at her until I was interrupted.

"I thought your shift was over Dr. Cullen?" One of the nurses questioned.

"Almost." I replied absently. I donned exam gloves and walked to the side of the bed.

"Bella?" I said softly as I carefully picked up her injured hand. A beautiful smile graced her face as she turned her head toward my voice, but her eyes stayed closed.

"Bella?" I tried again. The smile grew, and her eyes slowly opened before drifting closed. They stayed closed momentarily then shot back open.

"Ed-ward." She stammered. She tried sitting up, but I quickly informed her to lie back down.

"What are you doing here?" She asked quietly.

"I work here now." I informed her. "I'm going to find a doctor to sew you up."

"Wait, aren't you a doctor?" She asked.

"Yes, but I can't sew you up." I said.

"Why not?" She almost pouted.

"Because if you are my patient, then I can't ask you out on a date." I replied immediately, telling me that my verbal filter had left the building quicker than Elvis. My professional side immediately warred with my personal interest in Bella. I instantly wanted to grant her every wish, and I could not stand to deny her request.

"What if I accept your date first, can you be my doctor then?" She replied after a brief moment of shock. I smiled brightly while nodding.

"Let's take a look at that hand then." I told her as I removed the towel.

**AN: Again, thanks to my awesome beta for her, well... awesomeness! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!**


	12. Chapter 12: Stitches

**AN: This chapter is dedicated to my husband and his large bank of **_**Chuck-**_**isms. Also, I own nothing. I was told by my three-year-old that I'm bossy, so I do own that! Trs1 is awesome, now that everyone knows, on with the story!**

**Chapter Twelve: Stitches**

**BPOV**

Edward gently removed the towel from my hand.

"Don't look at your hand, look at me." He warned. I brought my eyes up to his face. Since he was looking at my hand, I continued to examine every part of him that I could see. His strong jaw, his bright green eyes, his tousled bronze hair, his muscular shoulders, he was exquisite.

My eyes wandered down his strong-looking arms. He wasn't one of those overly built, beef-cake type guys, but he was definitely not a pencil pusher!

Oh GOD! I told him I would go on a date with him. Shit, I'm going to need Alice and Rose to make me look nice, though I would never look good enough standing next to him.

"So, what is the best thing to do around here for a date?" Edward asked, bringing me out of my self-pity.

"Um, I'm not really sure." I told him honestly.

"Don't worry, I'll find something for us to do." He replied, smirking. He turned toward a staff member that was still in the room.

"JoDell, I'm going to need a suture kit, 1% lido, bicarb, sterile water, and several 4-0 nylon, both size needles." The woman nodded and left the room. I bristled at the words needles and Edward picked up on it.

"Not a fan of needles, huh?" He questioned, though he already knew the answer.

"I love them." I replied sarcastically. He raised a single eyebrow in response and I snorted.

"Did you know that _Chuck Norris' _tears can cure cancer?" I asked him.

"It's too bad he's never cried." He replied smirking.

"You like using Chuck-isms too?" I almost yelled, sitting up in the bed. Edward made me lay back down as he nodded, smiling massively.

"_Chuck Norris _counted to infinity - twice." Edward said after he was sure I was comfortable.

"_Chuck Norris _is the reason why _Waldo _is hiding."

"_Chuck Norris _can divide by zero."

"_Chuck Norris _can sneeze with his eyes open."

"_Chuck Norris _was Darth Vader's father."

"_Chuck Norris _can slam a revolving door." I finished just as JoDell returned with the supplies Edward had asked for. She placed a blue plastic thingy, which she informed me was called a chux, under my injured hand as well as on the mayo stand next to the bed.

I couldn't help but laugh when she told me the thing was called a chux. Here we were talking about _Chuck Norris_ and then she brings in chux. Both Edward and JoDell looked at me questioningly.

"What, it's funny… _Chuck Norris _and chux." I said giggling. Yeah, they must have given me some pretty sweet shit.

**EPOV**

"Bella, I'm going to inject some numbing medication into your fingers, so that I can stitch your cuts. You may feel a little sting, but it will go away." I warned Bella.

"Oakey dokey artichoky." She said giggling. I concentrated on drawing up the numbing medication.

"Do you think _Chuck Norris _can lick his elbow?" Bella asked while trying to lick the elbow of her uninjured arm. I was quite sad that I didn't have a video camera. This would have definitely won _America's Funniest Home Videos._

I normally don't give oral pain medication to a patient with a laceration, but Bella cut her fingers pretty deep. No doubt it was going to be painful once the medicine wore off.

"Here we go Bella, sharp poke on three. One, two, three…" I counted down before numbing Bella's fingers.

"JoDell, can you hold her fingers for me?" I asked quietly, trying not to disturb Bella. Even though I took extra time to be sure I did an excellent job with Bella's sutures, I was done quickly.

I asked JoDell to get me the bandaging supplies, instead of having her bandage Bella up. I trusted JoDell more than anyone to do a great job, but it was Bella! JoDell left the room and returned with the supplies.

"Dr. Cullen, there are people in the waiting room that are asking to come back to her room." JoDell informed me.

"Let them all back." I replied. JoDell raised her eyebrows at me breaking the rules, but left to inform the visitors they could come in the room. I could hear Jake before I saw anyone.

"Alice, I said I was sorry. I wasn't thinking." He declared. He must have been in trouble with Bella's friends. Bella was resting comfortably, so I stopped everyone at the doorway and asked them to keep it down since she was sleeping.

I noticed that the eyes of all of Bella's friends were as wide as saucers when they noticed me. Once everyone was in the room I began telling them about the care that Bella would need. They all listened carefully so they could pass it on to Bella when she wasn't as… well, high.

I turned toward the small, brown haired woman. She looked like Bella, with a darker complexion, but of course she wasn't as beautiful as Bella.

"I will be right back with her discharge instructions and a couple prescriptions that will need to be filled." I said before leaving the room.

I filled out the paperwork and returned to Bella's room. I thought I heard something about a Dr. Moto Moto, whoever the hell that was, but silence fell over the room when they noticed I was back. He sounded like some kooky witch doctor to me.

I gave Bella's discharge instructions to the blonde, and told her which pharmacies were still open so they could fill Bella's prescriptions.

I knew I couldn't talk to Bella about our date, so I also handed over a slip of paper. On the paper I had written my name, and the number to every phone I owned. I even included my pager number and email address.

"Please have her call me so we can figure out a date for our, um… date." I said nervously.

"I'm Edward, by the way." I stuck my hand out toward the group. I thought I heard someone say they knew who I was.

The short black haired woman was the first to introduce herself, "I'm Alice," she said cheerily, while shaking my hand so quickly I worried I would smack myself in the face when she let go.

"This is Rose," she said pointing to the tall blonde.

"This is Angela," she pointed toward the woman that looked somewhat like Bella.

"This is Jake," she pointed to Jake.

"And this is Leah." She finished, pointing to Leah.

"Yeah, I know Jake and Leah." I informed her. She raised her eyebrow at me, questioningly.

"Leah is like a sister to me. She moved here with us from Chicago. Leah and Jake have been dating for over a month and a half, and she brings Jake over to our place to hang out." I explained.

"Huh, well it's nice to meet you. Thank you for taking care of Bella for us. We'll be sure to have her call you. Can we take her home now?" Alice asked, sticking Bella's discharge papers into her purse.

"Yes, she can leave now." I said sadly.

"Thanks, man." Jacob said, shaking my hand. He scooped Bella into his arms and carried her out of the room.

**AN: Well, what did you think? The next chapter is a good one, so review for me and I'll post it tomorrow! **


	13. Chapter 13: What Happened

**AN: My beta is the shit, just so you guys know. You guys already know this, but I own nothing. I do have a husband that refers to me as the boss. I hope you guys like this chapter, I had a lot of fun writing it, and trs1 enjoyed proofing it. **

**Chapter Thirteen: What Happened**

**BPOV**

My wonderful dream about Dr. Moto Moto was cut short when I woke up, feeling like I had volunteered as a crash test dummy. I don't remember drinking last night. Hell, I don't remember last night! Okay, let's go through the checklist. One: Am I alone? Check! Two: Am I dressed? Check but not in pajamas. Three: Is my hand bandaged? Check! Four: Wait, why is my hand bandaged?

I laid my head back down on the pillow and tried to remember something, anything, from the previous night. Yep, blank. I decided to get up and see if anyone else was awake. Hopefully they knew what happened last night. I glanced at the clock as I sat on the edge of my bed. 6:30 am. Alice might be up.

I slowly stood and made my way to kitchen. I found the kitchen empty, but someone had brewed coffee recently. I grabbed a mug and made myself a cup of joe with a smidge of cream, and three spoons of sugar. Ahhh, perfection.

I sat down at the table with my cup of morning warmth and noticed a stack of papers and several pill bottles. I picked up the bottles first and noticed that they were prescribed to me. One was an antibiotic, the other was pain medication.

Next, I examined the papers. The first was discharge instructions for a laceration/ sutures. The second was a form about HIPAA. The last one made me drop my cup of coffee in my lap.

HOLY FUCK! I thought that was a dream, not what had really happened. Oh, god, I hope I didn't embarrass myself. I cleaned up my coffee mess, and went back to my room to shower.

I had to tape a plastic bag over my bandaged hand, which made things a little more difficult. While I showered, I contemplated whether or not I should call Edward.

By the end of my shower, I decided that I would talk to the girls and find out how badly I embarrassed myself in front of Edward before I made a decision about calling him. I got dressed, did my hair and make-up, and headed back into the kitchen.

Alice, Rose, and Angela were all seated at the table with their breakfast. I slumped into an empty chair.

"So," I started, "How badly did I embarrass myself last night?" The girls simply smiled at me. I was afraid of what their smiles meant… Was it that bad?

"You were out like a light when we came into the room Bella." Rose informed me. Ali and Ang nodded their heads in agreement.

"So if I call him, he's not going to laugh at me when I tell him who it is?" I questioned.

"What do you mean IF?" Alice demanded.

"I don't know if I'm going to call him or not." I informed her calmly.

"How can you say that?" She nearly yelled.

"Um…" I was at a loss for words. The last time I had seen Alice this upset had been when I told her that her Manny what-evers looked like granny shoes. Once she had calmed down, she drilled it into me that the shoes were made by _Manolo Blahnik, _and absolutely were not granny shoes.

She actually made me repeat after her: I will not insult _Manolo Blahnik _or his shoes. His shoes do not look like granny shoes. Angela and Rose found it very humorous, me, not so much. I have NEVER said anything about Alice's shoes since.

"Bella, he likes you… a lot! You have to at least call him. Look at how many ways he gave you to contact him; he obviously wants you to call! I thought he was going to cry when we left with you." Angela surprised me by speaking.

"Alright, I'll call him." I conceded nervously.

"YAY!" Alice screeched, handing me the phone.

"Right now?" I questioned.

"Now." Rose ordered, handing me the paper with Edward's information on it.

"Okay, here goes nothing." I sighed, dialing the first number on the page.

**EPOV**

RING, RING…. RING, RING

RING, RING

I was startled out of my latest dream about a beautiful brunette. I looked at the clock. 10:13 am. Less than three hours of sleep since I had to stay all night in the ER. Great.

"Lo?" I grumbled.

"Um, Edward?" The most beautiful voice asked.

"Bella?" I perked up instantly, and I'm not just talking about my mood. The way she said my name went straight to my nether regions.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. I can call back anoth-"

"NO!" I interrupted. "Now is great. How are you feeling this morning?" I asked.

"Okay, my hand hurts a little bit, but that's to be expected." She said.

"That's good. I hope you are calling so we can figure out when we can have our date." I said apprehensively.

"Yeah, you still want to go on a date with me?" She asked.

"Why wouldn't I?" I wondered aloud.

"I have a weird feeling that I embarrassed myself in front of you last night. I wasn't sure you would still want to go out with me." She said. I could almost feel her anxiety radiating through the phone like a seismograph measuring an earthquake. She was definitely at a 10 on the _Richter Scale._

"You didn't do anything embarrassing. We did compare our Chuck-isms though." I said, chuckling at the memory.

"I remember that." She said, also laughing lightly. To me, her laugh was like a shot of heroin to a drug addict. It was beautiful, and I vowed to make her laugh as often as possible.

"So are you still up for a date?" I reminded her.

"Oh, of course." She said. "What did you have in mind?"

"That's a surprise. Are you free tonight?" I asked.

"Tonight?" She repeated.

"Too soon?" I asked her.

"No, I just didn't realize you were that excited about it." She teased.

"I'm sorry you're not excited about it." I teased back. She laughed and reassured me that she was excited, just not about it being a surprise.

"I promise you'll enjoy it." I assured her.

"What time can I pick you up?" I asked her.

"Whatever time works for you is fine." She said before giving me her address.

"Okay, I'll pick you up at 5pm." I told her.

"Sounds great, I'll see you then." She replied before hanging up.

"See you then." I said to myself and the dial tone. I laid back down and fell asleep with a massive smile on my face.

**AN: There you go; the next chapter is their date. And, yes, I am going to beg… Just one review, pretty please with Edward on top! :)**


	14. Chapter 14: History In The Making

**AN: I own nothing but the joke I told my three-year-old this morning. Okay, so I don't even own that. And, he didn't laugh. There are a couple links for this chapter. The first being the link for the Carlton dance. Any Fresh Prince fans out there? (Raises hand and jumps up and down.) The second link is for the restaurant. I don't usually post lyrics in my chapters, but this song fits the chapter so well, and it's a beautiful song.**

http://www(.)youtube(.)com/watch?v=zS1cLOIxsQ8

http://palisaderestaurant(.)com/page/home

**History In The Making by Darius Rucker**

_Don't move Baby Don't move  
Awww look at you  
I just want to take this in  
The moonlight dancing off your skin  
Our time Lets take our time  
I just want to look in your eyes  
and catch my breath  
Cuz I just got a feeling_

This could be one of those memories  
We want to hold on to, cling to,  
one we can't forget  
Baby, this could be our last first kiss  
The door to forever  
What if this was that moment  
That chance worth taking  
History in the making

Inside, baby inside  
Can you feel the butterflies?  
Floating all around  
Cuz I can sure feel them now  
Tonight, maybe tonight  
Is a start of a beautiful ride  
that will never end  
And baby I've got a feeling

This could be one of those memories  
We want to hold on to, cling to,  
One we can't forget  
Baby, this could be our last first kiss  
The door to forever  
What if this was that moment  
That chance worth taking  
History in the making

Right here, right now  
Holding you in my arms

This could be one of those memories  
We want to hold on to, we want to cling to,  
One that we can't forget  
Baby, this could be our last first kiss  
The door to forever  
What if this was that moment  
That chance worth taking  
History in the making

**Chapter Fourteen: History In The Making**

**BPOV**

I knew that I would need help from Alice and Rose to get ready for my date with Edward, but that didn't mean I was happy when they made me take another shower. They claimed they needed to work with a clean slate.

Alice and Rose contemplated outfits and hairstyles, while Angela helped me in the shower. With her help, this shower was much shorter. Alice and Rose were ready for me when I got out of the shower, and before I knew it, I was ready for my date and the doorbell was announcing his arrival.

Rose informed me that I could not answer the door and sent Alice and Angela to do it.

"I'm going downstairs, wait two minutes before you come down. I'm timing you!" She warned. "You have to make an entrance." She said, making a _Vanna White-_like motion in front of me with her hands.

I waited my required two minutes and slowly made my way down the stairs. I concentrated on safely reaching the bottom of the stairs. Edward was waiting patiently for me at the bottom, with his jaw resting on the floor.

Due to my nerves, I had forgotten to look in the mirror before coming downstairs, but judging by Edward's face, I was guessing I looked really awesome or like a pig wearing lipstick. I was hoping for option one.

"Bella, you look breathtaking." Edward said, as he grasped my hand and helped me down the last couple stairs.

"Thank you. You look great as well." I replied, ducking my head to hide my blush.

"Shall we?" Edward asked, motioning toward the front door.

"We shall." I smiled, grabbed my jacket, and followed him out the door. I couldn't stop the strange feeling that I would follow him anywhere.

"You have a _Vanquish_?" I asked, surprised.

"It's my special occasion car." He answered matter-of-factly.

Edward stopped on the passenger side and opened the door for me. Once I was in, he shut the door and went around to the driver's side.

"So where is it we are going again?" I tried when he climbed into the driver's seat.

"Nice try." Edward smirked. "We are going to this place I heard about, and then we are going to another place that is supposed to be great."

"Well, that was helpful." I feigned disapproval. He smiled. On the drive to our unknown destination, we talked about ourselves. I learned that he moved here with his brothers, and that Leah moved here with them.

I told him about my parents and Phil. I learned that his parents lived in Forks, and that I knew his mother. I told him that I drove my shopping cart into her the last time I was in Forks. By the time we arrived, we knew quite a bit about each other's families.

He pulled up in front of _Palisade, _came around to my door and opened it for me. I took the hand he offered me and climbed out of the car.

"Not a scratch." He demanded as he handed his keys over to the valet. He grasped my hand and escorted me into the luxurious restaurant.

I knew this place was extremely expensive, but I couldn't wait to try the food. I had heard wonderful things about this place, but had never had a reason to come here.

"Reservation for two, under Cullen." Edward told the hostess before turning to me.

"Would you like to dine inside or outside?" He asked me.

"Outside, please." I told him. The restaurant had a beautiful view of the marina, and I couldn't resist getting an up close view.

"We would like to dine outside, please." Edward said after turning back toward the hostess. I noticed that her eyes never left Edward, and his hand never left mine.

We followed her to our table. Edward pulled my chair out for me and waited for me to sit down before he took his seat.

I thanked him as he handed me a menu.

"Have you been here before?" He asked.

"No, but I've heard it's fantastic." I said excitedly. Edward nodded in agreement.

The waiter arrived and we both ordered_ Dr. Pepper_.

"I can't decide whether I want seafood or steak." I told Edward.

"How about I order seafood, you order steak, and we'll share?" Edward suggested. I nodded happily. The waiter returned with our drinks and we ordered our meals. I ordered the _Spit Roasted Prime Rib _and Edward ordered the _Duet of Lobster Presented Two Ways. _It all sounded so divine, and my mouth was watering just thinking about it.

While we waited for our food, Edward told me about the last time he was in Forks. Evidently, his family had gone fishing with Charlie. He told me about how his brother, Emmett, nearly capsized the boat.

He was listening to his iPod when _It's Not Unusual _by _Tom Jones _came on. He stood up in the middle of the boat and started doing the _Carlton Dance._

I thought I was going to pee my pants, I was laughing so hard. I excused myself to the bathroom. When I returned to the table, I was surprised to find the hostess sitting in the chair I had vacated.

"I'm so glad you got rid of that girl. She wasn't pretty enough for you. You could do so much better, and now you get to spend time with me. Isn't that great? I'm so much better looking anyways." I heard her say in an irritating voice.

My heart dropped to the _Christian Louboutin_ shoes I had borrowed from Alice. The hostess was right; he could do so much better than me. Before I could turn around to leave the restaurant, I heard Edward speak.

"First, don't ever compare yourself to her. That's like comparing the world's best prime rib to a hot dog." He got right in her face before he continued… "You," he pointed to her, "would be the hot dog, and you are probably as dull as ditchwater."

"I would like to see the manager, immediately." He said to a waiter walking by. The waiter nodded and left.

"Second, there is no way I could 'do better than her,' as you put it. She is the best there is. It doesn't get any better than her. Third, you will apologize to both of us for interrupting our date." He paused before he spoke again.

"Most importantly, you will apologize to Bella for insulting her." He said, looking directly into my eyes. He didn't have to say anything; I could feel his apology just by looking in his eyes.

I made my way back to the table and stopped when I reached it. The hostess stood to make her exit just as the waiter showed up with the manager hot on his heels.

"What may I help you with, Sir?" The manager asked Edward. Edward grabbed my hand and pulled me to him before he spoke.

"Your hostess insulted my date and tried hitting on me while my date was in the bathroom." He informed the manager.

"Lauren, that behavior is unacceptable. You need to turn in your name badge and time card. Clean out your locker. You are fired." The manager said to the ex-hostess.

"I am very sorry, Sir and Ma'am. Your bill for the night will be on the house. Please enjoy your meal. I highly recommend the _Chocolate 'Lover's' Cake_ for dessert, it's sensational." The manager told us before he walked away.

"I'm so sorry, Bella." Edward told me as he pulled my chair out for me.

"It's alright, Edward. Thank you for sticking up for me." I replied, smiling. He slumped in his chair, and I couldn't help but feel that he thought the date was ruined. I thought it was better, but maybe that was just because I knew how he felt about me.

"So, if Emmett is such a fan of _Fresh Prince_, does he know the _Jump On It_ dance?" I said, trying to show Edward that the date wasn't ruined. He smiled before he replied, "Yes, all of us know it. It's quite funny to watch all of us do it." He chuckled, obviously remembering the dance.

"I would like to see that." I told him as our food arrived. As I looked at the mouth-watering steak in front of me, I grimaced.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked, panicked. He must have seen my expression.

"Ugh." I said, waving my injured hand in between us.

"I wasn't thinking when I ordered steak. I can't cut it." I said, feeling a little like I asked a woman when she was due, only to be informed that she wasn't pregnant. He smiled at me, and switched our plates.

"Help yourself." He said, gesturing toward the plate he had given me. I tried to resist, but it smelled so good. It looked good too. Edward raised an eyebrow at me, and continued cutting my steak.

I gave in, and it melted in my mouth. I moaned and looked up to Edward to tell him he hand to try this. His eyes were the size of acorns and he was staring at me, slack jawed.

After a moment, he noticed that I had caught him staring. He cleared his throat and began cutting the steak with renewed vigor. I was worried he was going to cut clean through the plate.

"You have to try this, Edward, it's amazing." I said, holding a forkful in front of him. He looked down at the fork, then up at me before he slowly opened his mouth.

I sucked in a sharp breath as I watched his tongue pull the lobster off the fork. It was unbelievably sensual watching him eat food off of my fork.

I nearly dropped the fork on the floor trying to set it back down on the table. I was breathing erratically. I couldn't believe how turned on I was, just from watching Edward eat.

Edward had switched our plates while I was in my lust induced haze. I now had lobster and steak on my plate.

"Thank you, Edward." I said, appreciatively.

"You're welcome." Edward replied. Our conversation lulled while we ate our delicious meals. We shared the dessert that was recommended by the manager.

It was even better than the manager had promised, but I think that was because I was sharing it with the A1 of men.

**EPOV**

Our date had been exceptional, aside from the incident with the distasteful hostess. We had just finished dessert and our waiter returned to ask us if we needed anything else, and to remind us that our bill was going to be covered by the restaurant.

I stood, picked up Bella's jacket from the back of her chair and held it open for her to put on. She thanked me as she put her arms into the sleeves.

I caught her scent as she pulled her hair out from under her jacket. She smelled heavenly. Like strawberries and freesia, though I had no idea how I knew what freesia was.

We thanked the waiter and manager as we left the restaurant. I held Bella's door open for her when the valet arrived with my car. She smiled warmly at me as she slid into the seat.

I couldn't help the warm feeling that spread through me as I walked around to the driver's side. I tipped the valet and climbed into the car. I was very excited for the next part of our date, and I hoped Bella enjoyed it.

**EPOV**

For the second half of our date, I was taking Bella to the _Cinema on the Lawn. 50 First Dates_ was playing tonight. I'd had Leah set up an area for us with a blanket and champagne. She sent me a text during dinner to let me know that everything was ready for us, and where it was located.

I'd scoped the park out earlier in the day to find a spot that would give us privacy, but also allow us to see and hear the movie.

I parked in the lot and turned to Bella. I watched as her eyes scanned the area, trying to figure out why we were at the park. Suddenly, they lit up with excitement and she turned to me.

"_Cinema on the Lawn?" _She asked, vibrating with anticipation.

"Yep." I nodded as I exited the car.

**BPOV**

Edward came around to my side of the car and opened the door, offering his hand to me. He held my hand as he led me up a small embankment.

When we reached the top, I noticed a blanket laid out on the ground, under a huge tree, with a picnic basket and several pillows. It took me a moment to realize that Edward was leading me to the blanket. Once I did. I was amazed at all the planning he had put into our date.

Edward helped me sit down on the blanket and placed a couple pillows between my back and the tree. He then sat down next to me and opened the picnic basket, revealing two champagne flutes and a bottle of champagne. He opened the champagne and offered me a flute.

"So what are we watching?" I asked.

"_50 First Dates._ Have you seen it?" Edward asked.

"Yeah, several times, but it's such a great movie. I like the mix of humor and romance, it keeps you from getting too mushy!" I laughed.

"I agree." Edward said.

"Hi! I'm Tom!" I quoted.

"Thith ith from Nick and Thue. They thend their betht witheth for a thafe trip." He quoted back. We were now laughing so hard we were nearly rolling around on the ground. Our laughter came to an abrupt stop when the movie started playing. I sat comfortably against the pillows.

After a while, I saw Edward shifting around like he was uncomfortable, and noticed that he had given me all of the pillows.

"Edward!" I whisper-shouted. He looked over at me as I rearranged myself so that he could sit next to me and patted the empty space. He looked down at the vacated area and back up at my face. I nodded my head in affirmation, and he quickly moved next to me.

I could tell that he was afraid of making things awkward, because he was careful not to touch me. So I decided to break the ice. I scooted as close to him as I could, and laid my head on his arm, hoping he would make the next move. I didn't have to wait long before he moved his arm around my shoulders and pulled me to him tightly.

I was happy I had already seen the movie, because I didn't pay attention to a minute of it. I was too busy concentrating on Edward. How it felt to be pulled up against his warm body, it was hard, but soft at the same time. The inhalation and exhalation of air as he breathed, and the lub-dub of his heart all held my attention like a mosquito bite. Not in the sense that he was annoying and itchy, but in the sense that once you knew it was there, you couldn't ignore it.

I couldn't focus on anything but him. I had only known him a short while, but I knew I was in deep.

**EPOV**

It was undeniably difficult to keep my hands to myself after I sat down next to Bella. She surprised me when she laid her head on my arm and I had to calm myself down before I allowed myself to wrap my arm around her and pull her to me.

She felt perfect pulled up against me, so soft and warm. I don't think I really paid any attention to the movie. I had the woman of my dreams resting her head on my shoulder, how could I have concentrated on anything other than that?

It seemed like mere minutes had passed, and the movie was over. Bella helped me pack up the champagne, flutes and pillows, and carried the blanket back to the car. We loaded everything into the back and I helped Bella into the car.

I didn't want our date to end, but I noticed Bella yawn as I started the car, so I headed back to her house to drop her off. I pulled in her driveway, put the car in park, and turned toward Bella.

"I had such a wonderful time tonight, Bella. Would you please go out with me again?" I pleaded. She smiled brightly.

"I had a great time too Edward. I would love to go out with you again. Can I give you my number since I already have yours?" She asked. Didn't she know I would give her anything she asked for?

"Please." I said as I handed her my cell phone. She typed in her number and gave it back to me. I held onto her hand tightly after extricating my phone. I kissed the back of her hand gently before placing her hand on my cheek. I closed my eyes and sighed, I couldn't believe how wonderful she made me feel.

I released my hold on her hand and noticed her hand lingered on my face. I looked up at her and was shocked to see so much emotion in her eyes. She blinked and pulled her hand back.

"Thank you for such an amazing date, Edward." Bella said. She leaned over the console slowly, and placed a tender kiss on my cheek, and then opened her door and exited the car. I watched her walk to her house as if in a trance, and disappear behind her front door.

I sat in her driveway for what seemed like hours before I was able settle down enough to safely make it home.

About three things I was absolutely certain. First, this had been the best night of my life. Second, Bella was extraordinary, and I had to have her in my life. And third, I was falling for her, hard.

**AN: Well, what did you think of the date? Instead of asking for reviews at the end of this chapter, I am going to ask for prayers. My Grammies had a heart attack, and will probably need bypass surgery, please pray for her health for me. Thank you!**


	15. Chapter 15: First Kiss

**AN: Sorry it took so long for the update; I have gone back to work and been busy getting ready for school to start.**

**I own nothing, but I do have a batch of cookies that I made the day before yesterday. I own all of the pounds I have accumulated from eating said cookies. Anyone want to take over ownership? **

**My beta, trs1 is the shit!**

**Here's the link for the cookie recipe:**

http://dinnercoop(dot)cs(dot)cmu(dot)edu/dinnercoop/Recipes/sanjiv/ChocChipCookies(dot)html

**Chapter Fifteen: First Kiss**

**BPOV **

I shut the door and fell back against it. My heart was beating wildly in my chest. The emotions swirling around in me were overwhelming. I don't know how long I stood there, pondering my feelings and the sudden progression of them. I was pulled out of my thoughts by Alice.

"Bella, are you coming into the living room or are you just going to stand by the front door all night?" She questioned. Damn, of course they would be waiting for me.

I hung my jacket and purse up and headed into the living room to find the girls in their pajamas on various chairs around the room. Each girl had her own bowl of popcorn, and I noticed a fourth bowl in front of an empty section of couch.

"Can I at least get comfy first?" I begged.

"Fine!" Alice huffed. I hurried to my room and changed as quickly as possible. I wanted to accomplish my task before Alice changed her mind.

When I returned and took my seat on the couch, Rose handed me a beer.

"Thanks," I told her.

"Well?" Angela questioned.

"It was absolutely amazing." I told them honestly.

"Oh no! You know better than that Bella. You start from the moment you walked out that door, to the minute you walked back into this house!" Alice demanded. I looked pleadingly at both Rose and Angela, but both of them were nodding their heads in agreement.

"Traitors," I mumbled.

So, I started at the beginning and told them about my date. They oohed, awed, and hell-no-ed in all the right places, and even threatened some butt-kicking. Ah, I loved my girls. They were shocked at the hostess, and amazed at how romantic the date had been.

Finally, after talking for almost two hours, we all headed to bed. I grabbed my cell phone to set my alarm and noticed I had a text. I opened my phone and discovered the text was from Edward. I smiled as I opened the message.

_Bella, thank you again for the wonderful evening. Please let me know when you are available for a second date. Good night and sweet dreams._

_-Edward_

I looked at the time on the message and noticed that he sent it mere minutes after dropping me off. He really was the A1 of men, and I was lucky enough to have a second date with him. I hoped it would be at least half as amazing as tonight's date had been.

**EPOV**

As soon as I got home I sent Bella a text. I was disappointed when I hadn't received anything back from her after an hour. She must have not as good of a time as I thought she had. I went to bed with a full mind and a heavy heart. I wasn't sure what I would do if Bella didn't want to see me again.

I awoke the next morning much earlier than I wanted, so I decided to go for a run. I ran for a couple miles before I came back home and showered. I grabbed my phone to call my mom and noticed I had a text from Bella. I quickly opened the message.

_Edward, sorry I didn't text you back sooner, the girls kept me up late. Is tonight too soon for our second date? :) I had a great time last night. I hope to see you soon._

_-Bella_

I had to fight to stamp down the urge to jump up and down. She wanted to see me again tonight. I wanted Bella to meet the guys, so I immediately sent a return text.

_Tonight is perfect. Would you be willing to come to my place and meet the guys?_

_-Edward_

I knew, without a doubt that she would fit in perfectly with the guys, and I couldn't wait to introduce her to them.

**BPOV**

Oh, god.

"Alice, Rose, Ang!" I yelled frantically. They came running up the stairs and burst into my room, nearly knocking me over.

"What's wrong?" Alice panted.

"He wants me to meet his friends… TONIGHT!" I said, panicked. The girls all stared at me as if I had told them I was a pregnant virgin. I think I even saw Rose's eye twitching. Did they not understand the severity of this crisis?

"So…" Rose finally said, encouraging me to continue on my rampage of craziness.

"What if they don't like me?" I screeched, trying to make them comprehend. They all looked around at each other and then busted out laughing.

"Bella, calm down honey." Alice said in between fits of giggles.

"I think he would choose you over his friends." Angela added while Rose nodded enthusiastically.

"What makes you think that?" I asked skeptically.

"Oh honey, you didn't see how he acted when you where in the ER. He's already in deep." Rose said.

"Well at least I'm not the only one." I said before I could clamp my hand down over my mouth. I looked up at three pairs of wide eyes.

"Yeah, you heard me." I grumbled. "That's why this is so important. I think he's 'The One.'" I told them truthfully. The three of them gasped in unison.

"Bella, how can they not like you?" Angela asked. I shrugged in response. I sent Edward a text asking him what I needed to bring and asking where his place was. He responded with his address, and told me to bring my "cute self," and that the girls could come too.

I immediately responded that they would be there. I didn't need to ask, they were all going whether they wanted to or not. I needed support and they were going to damn well give it to me.

I made cookies to take over to Edward's even though he told me I didn't need to bring anything. Well, I guess I should say that Alice, Rose, and Angela were the actors and I was the director of our little kitchen production. The producing credit would have to go to _Dave_, whoever he may be, for creating and sharing his awesomely awesome recipe for _Dave's Deadly Chocolate Chip Cookies_.

I sent Edward a text letting him know we were on our way and we all piled into Rose's car. She had a cherry 1969 Dodge Charger R/T. She rebuilt and installed the Hemi engine herself. It was her pride and joy.

Edward's place wasn't very far from ours, and with Rose driving the Hemi, it took even less time. Alice and Rose both drove like maniacs. We all hopped out and made our way to the front door. When we got onto the large deck, everyone looked at me. Okay, I guess I was in charge of ringing the doorbell. So I did.

The door opened to reveal a huge man. By huge, I mean ginormous. Have you ever seen the displays of animals in _Cabela's_? Yeah, this guy is the polar bear, just not so… hairy. He looked past me immediately and my heart sunk. One glance was all it took for him to realize I was nothing worthy of Edward.

"HOLY FUCK!" He yelled, barreling past us. We looked around at each other, shocked. Rose was the first one to break out of her dazed state.

"Don't even think about touching it." She commanded, and the bear man instantly froze as that was precisely what he was thinking. Rose walked right up to him and got in his face. I realized that this had to be Emmett.

"You actually thought you could put your grimy hands on this beauty?" She asked. Emmett looked back and forth between Rose and the car several times before speaking.

"Um?" He questioned, going back to looking between Rose and the car. Finally, he snapped out of his stupor.

"Is this car yours?" He questioned.

"Yes." Rose answered simply. She must have decided to use small words for him, unsure if he could understand any bigger words.

"Do you know how rare these are?" Emmett asked her. Oh boy, he was going to get an earful now. I sat back, ready for the entertainment. Edward had joined us now. I gave him a large smile and pointed toward Rose and Emmett.

"Watch this." I told him, smiling.

"Do I know how rare this car is? What, do you think I'm just driving around Daddy's car? I'll have you know that I bought this car from a junkyard, did all the body work, paint, and rebuilt the hemi myself. So yes, I DO know how rare this car is." Rose turned and started back toward the house, leaving Emmett standing in the driveway slack-jawed.

When Rose reached the porch, she turned to Emmett with one last warning.

"No touchy-touchy!" She told Emmett before walking through the open door into Edward's house. Everyone but Emmett followed Rose into the house, and took a seat in the living room. Edward introduced Ben and told us that the big oaf outside was indeed Emmett. He also talked about his brother Jasper, who is a psychiatrist, and was called in to work.

I, in turn, introduced the girls. I noticed Ben watching Angela intently. Rose asked where the bathroom was, and Emmett returned while she was gone.

"I'm marrying her." He said immediately upon entering the room.

"Does Rose know about this?" I asked, laughing heartily.

"She will soon." He replied, undeterred. Rose returned then, so that conversation was dropped. I realized that I still had the cookies in my hot little hands, so I asked Edward where he wanted them. He gestured for me to follow him.

We reached the kitchen and Edward stopped at the counter, which was filled with preparations for a barbecue. He took the cookies from me and placed them in the midst of the chaos that was the counter.

"I'm so glad you came Bella. I'm sorry about Emmett, he's a little boisterous." Edward apologized unnecessarily.

"A little?" I laughed. He laughed with me for a moment and then became serious. I was taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor.

"How is your hand, Bella?" Edward asked.

"It's difficult to do pretty much anything that requires two hands, but it doesn't hurt and it looks good." I told him, showing him my hand. He gingerly grasped my hand and inspected my sutures.

"It does look good. You have been taking care of it." He told me. "Another week or so and I will take them out for you. You won't even have to go to the hospital." He told me proudly.

"My hero." I said, only half teasing. We both laughed and Edward kissed each stitched finger, gently. It was then that I noticed the intensity of his eyes. The color a spectacular green, more striking than any forest, and the perfect size and shape for his face. He is the picture of perfect, and he's standing next to the perfect representation of plain. Sigh.

Edward looked like he wanted to say something, but evidently decided against it as he picked up the plate of raw hamburgers and hot dogs.

"Care to join me outside by the barbeque pit, Madame?" Edward asked in a fake accent. Wow, that was hot. I guess we don't call him Dr. Moto Moto for nothing, I thought. I followed Edward into his back yard and sat down in the swing next to the grill. Edward joined me after placing the food on the grill.

He lightly placed his hand on top of mine, resting on the seat, and squeezed softly. I looked over at him and gave him a big smile, hoping I didn't look like a fool.

"Bella," Edward started, "I-." He was interrupted by his cell phone ringing from his pocket. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and answered.

"Hi, Mom… Yes… No… Uh huh… No, Mom. I don't think-… Fine." He sighed again as he looked over to me.

"Bella, my mom wants to talk to you. You can say no if you want to." Edward said.

"Nonsense, of course I'll talk to her." I told him as I took the phone from his hand.

"Hello Mrs. Cullen. How are you?" I said politely into the phone.

"Hello dear, I'm doing well, thank you. Please stop with the Mrs. Cullen nonsense, please call me Esme." Esme admonished.

"Dear, I called Edward because we are going to be going to Seattle this weekend and wanted to get together with Edward for dinner. Would you please join us for dinner?" Esme asked.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude on family time." I replied quickly.

"You would not be intruding, Bella." Esme said, motherly.

"Okay, I'll go if it's okay with everyone." I said.

"Of course it's okay with everyone." Esme said. "I already talked to Carlisle and there's no way Edward will say no." Esme laughed.

"Just make sure, please." I pleaded. "It was great talking with you Esme, and I hope to see you soon. I'm going to give the phone back to Edward now." I told her before handing the phone over to Edward. I stood from the swing and made my way across the back lawn, to give Edward privacy.

I noticed that a small stream lined the back yard, so I sat down on the bank.

"Of course I want you to come to dinner." Edward said from behind me, startling me. "I really like you Bella, and I know this sounds a little grade school-ish, but, would you… um, be my girlfriend. I know it's soon, and we haven't really known each other long..." He rambled nervously.

"Yes, Edward. I agree it's soon, but I feel this… connection with you that I can't explain." I said, interrupting his rambling. I grasped his hand tightly and looked into his eyes.

"I feel it too." He whispered leaning towards me. He stopped halfway and his eyes met mine, seemingly asking permission. I licked my lips and tried to swallow the lump in my throat. I moved my head towards his slightly, and he immediately closed the distance between our lips.

When his lips met mine, I instantly felt a fire from my toes to every hair on my head, and every place in between. His lips were soft, yet still masculine, and tasted better than anything I'd ever tasted in my life. Our lips moved in perfect synchronization. His tongue darted out and grazed my lips.

I opened my mouth, inviting him in. He eagerly accepted my invitation. His tongue caressed mine, and I moaned into his mouth. One of his hands moved to my head and he intertwined his fingers in my hair.

We were suddenly pulled out of our kiss when we heard Emmett yelling for Edward. Edward groaned as he pulled away from me. The hand in my hair moved to my face and he rubbed my cheekbone gently.

"Bella, that was amazing." He said looking directly into my eyes.

"Yes, it was." I agreed, blushing.

"I suppose we should go see what Em was hollering about." Edward suggested as he stood and offered me his hand.

**EPOV**

Wow. That kiss was stronger than anything I'd ever felt before. I was literally weak in the knees. I took a moment to regain my composure before I stood, painfully since I had a rock hard erection straining against my jeans. I hoped Bella wouldn't notice.

I offered my hand to help her stand before we walked back to the house. I held her hand tightly in mine, amazed at the tingling sensation that traveled up my arm.

"What are you squawking about?" I asked Emmett when we got back.

"I was asking if the food was done." Shit, I forgot about the food on the grill. I turned quickly and went back outside to survey the damage. Thankfully, everything was salvageable.

"I guess I shouldn't distract you." Bella snickered behind me.

"What if I like it when you distract me?" I asked her honestly. She blushed and looked down at her feet. I finished removing the food from the grill, and we went back inside.

Everyone grabbed some grub and sat down at the table. I motioned for Bella to follow me onto the back deck.

We sat at the patio table, eating and talking about anything and everything. We started out with our favorite things, food, color, holiday, etc. Things we've done, things we want to do, and most importantly, the future. I wanted to get married and start having kids before I turned 30.

Yeah, that left me two years to find the woman I wanted to marry, though I couldn't help but feel like she was sitting right next to me smiling and laughing as she talked about her childhood.

When I told Bella about my desire for a family, I saw her eyes light up and the smile she gave me was breathtaking.

"Me too." She said quietly, and I wasn't sure that I was meant to hear it. She looked back up at me and I was taken aback by her beauty. We silently gazed into each other's eyes, until our peaceful moment was broken by Emmett.

"Yo, Eddie!" He yelled. "We're going to watch a movie. What's your pick?"

"Would you like to go watch a movie?" I asked, bummed that Emmett had interrupted us, again.

"Sure." Bella said, and it seemed that she was also sad about the intrusion.

"Anything special you want to watch?" I said picking up our plates.

"No, not really." She said shaking her head.

"You can pick Em." I told him. He rammed his fist up in the air in celebration. Uh oh.

"Maybe that wasn't a good idea." I told Bella. She looked up at me in confusion.

"Letting Emmett pick the movie." I explained. She nodded her head in understanding. Bella insisted on washing the dishes while I cleaned up the leftovers, and then we joined everyone else in the living room.

I noticed Angela and Ben were paired up on one of the couches, with Alice, Rosalie, and Emmett on the other. Emmett had his arm around Rosalie's shoulders and she was cuddled into his side. He winked at me when he noticed me looking at them.

The seating arrangement left the recliner as the only open chair. I motioned for Bella to take the recliner. She climbed into it and brought her feet up underneath her. I sat down on the floor in front of the recliner.

Emmett pushed play after telling us we were watching _Paranormal Activity_, and then he got up and turned off all the lights_. _See, what did I say, bad idea. It wasn't long after the movie started that I felt the chair move behind me and felt Bella's hand on my shoulder.

"You can come up here and sit with me." Bella said quietly. I shot up and she scooted over in the chair. I sat down next to her and reclined the chair, then I pulled her into me. She sighed as she cuddled closer and laid her head on my chest.

After I joined Bella in the chair, I was thankful for Emmett's movie choice. Each time Bella got scared she would bury her face into my chest and grip me tightly. I would wrap my arms around her, protectively, and whisper to her when the scary part was over. She would turn her attention back to the movie, just to burrow into me again, and I hoped that she wouldn't feel the effect she had on me.

When the movie was over, Bella stayed curled up against me, and I held onto her tightly, wishing the movie would have been longer. Mental note: next time you watch a movie with Bella, go with _The_ _Lord of the Rings Trilogy_, nice and long.

Alice was the first to break the silence, and I realized that she probably felt like a seventh wheel. I felt badly, until she spoke.

"As much as I would enjoy watching Emmett get scared during another movie, we really should get back home." She said after turning on the lights.

"I wasn't scared; I was… trying to scare Rose." He said. We all laughed and Emmett pouted.

"It's alright Em, I wouldn't let anything happen to you, you big teddy bear." Rose said, rubbing his arm teasingly. He smiled brightly and then the frown returned.

"Yeah, we'll keep you safe, Em!" Bella laughed next to me. I was unbelievably happy that she got along so well with my brothers.

We stood up and stretched and I caught a sliver of skin between Bella's jeans and her top. Fuck, instant hard on, and the third she had given me since she arrived.

Bella must have seen my predicament, because her eyes widened, and then she blushed, looking down at her feet.

"Thanks for inviting us over Edward. I had a really great time." She said when we reached the porch.

"Thanks for coming. I'll let you know the details about dinner." I replied, squeezing her tightly. She squeezed back and buried her face in my chest. I inhaled her scent and sighed at how great she smelled. She pulled away slowly and looked up at me.

"Good night Edward." She whispered before kissing me gently on the lips. Then she turned and walked to Rosalie's car.

I watched the car drive down the street until I couldn't see it anymore, and then went straight to my room. I lay down on my bed and thought about what I was feeling for Bella. There was no doubt about it, I wasn't falling anymore, I had fallen.

I drifted to sleep, on top of the covers, still dressed, dreaming about beautiful brown-haired, brown-eyed children and their beautiful mother.

**AN: Well? What did you think? Thanks again to my awesome beta for all of her support! You rock girlie!**


	16. Chapter 16: The Man You've Become

**AN: I do not own Twilight, or its characters. And as much as I wish I owned Edward, it doesn't help me achieve said ownership. Sigh… that doesn't mean I have to stop wishing, right? You guys can thank my beta for her awesome turn around. Trs1- You rock! **

**Here's a link that you HAVE to watch… it's where my drug seeker in the story came from.**

**http://www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=_m64cy1MMPg**

**Here's a link for the menu from the restaurant:**

**http://www(dot)themetropolitangrill(dot)com/pdf/MetDinner0108(dot)pdf**

**Chapter Sixteen: The Man You've Become**

**Esme POV**

We were on our way to the restaurant to meet Edward and Bella for dinner. We were very excited to officially meet Bella. I knew it wouldn't be long before Edward was asking us for his grandmother's ring. Bella was the one. I knew it. Carlisle knew it. But I wasn't sure if Edward knew it yet.

I could hear it in his voice when he talked about her. I could see it in his eyes when he thought about her, and I could see it in his smile when he heard her name. He was already in love with her.

I was thankful that the other boys weren't joining us. Don't get me wrong, I love all my boys, but I don't want them (Emmett), scaring Bella away. I wasn't sure if Bella had met Emmett yet. He can be a little… scary.

I looked over at Carlisle and knew that he was thinking the same thoughts. I wonder how long it will be before they give us some grandchildren. I can't wait to be a grandma. They'd better stay here in Seattle too, although if they moved, we'd follow them.

**BPOV**

It was Saturday and Edward would be here to pick me up for dinner, where I would officially meet his parents. Yes, I'd already met Esme, his mother, but not as his girlfriend, and I'd only talked to Carlisle on the phone. For some unknown reason, I wasn't nervous.

Alice was putting the finishing touches on my makeup when the doorbell rang. I looked up at Alice and squealed. Shit, I was turning into Alice! Alice laughed at my Alice-like antics and motioned for me to go. I left the bathroom and descended the stairs slowly, trying to prevent any need for an emergency room.

Edward was standing at the bottom, looking handsome, though I figured he would look handsome wearing a moo-moo. He helped me down the last few steps, and kissed me gently on the cheek.

"You look exquisite." He whispered in my ear, sending shivers all the way down to my toes. Then he turned to Angela.

"Ben said he would be by shortly to pick you up." He said, surprising me. I turned to Angela with wide eyes.

"Ben and I have a date tonight." Angela said, blushing.

"Ang, that's great! I hope you have a wonderful time." I said, hugging her tightly before Alice tugged her upstairs. I was guessing that Angela was going to be taking over the seat I had just vacated.

Edward led me out to his car, and opened the door for me.

"So where are we going?" I asked Edward once he was in the car.

"My parents have reservations at _The Metropolitan Grill_; I've heard it's really good." He said as he started the car. The drive to the restaurant was filled with inane chatter, but I was never bored with the conversation. The conversation was comfortable.

We talked about Edward's job, and I talked about my writing. He told me that Emmett was tinkering with the _Vanquish _when I asked why he wasn't driving it.

"My _Volvo _is my everyday car." He said, matter-of-factly.

When we got to the restaurant, we went through the same routine with the valet. Edward gave the host the name Cullen and asked if the other members of the party had arrived. He said yes and told us to follow him.

I recognized Esme immediately. It's hard not to remember such beauty. She was sitting next to a man who was just as beautiful. I couldn't help but feel like this dinner was like sitting _Prince Charming_ and his family at a table with _Cinderella_, in her rags.

Edward's parents stood when they saw us approaching, and Esme rushed over to me, scooping me into a loving hug.

"It's so great to see you again Bella." She said. We turned and I noticed Edward had a huge smile on his face as he watched us.

"Dad, this is Bella, my girlfriend." He said as he gestured to me in a Vana White-like motion. I saw Esme smile brightly when Edward introduced me as his girlfriend, and I couldn't help but smile with her.

"Bella, this is my dad, Carlisle." Edward told me.

"It's very nice to meet you." I told him as he shook my hand.

"Now I can put a face with the voice," I said laughing lightly. Everyone joined in. Edward pulled out a chair for me as Carlisle pulled out Esme's. Once we were all seated, we picked up our menus and perused the selection.

We ordered our drinks when the waiter came back around, and he said that he would give us a few more minutes to decide on what we wanted to eat.

I ordered the _Metropolitan Steakhouse Chicken _and Edward ordered the _Prime Porterhouse_ while Carlisle and Esme got the _Rack of Lamb for Two._ Carlisle and Esme asked me about my writing as Edward looked at me… proudly?

"Well, right now I have several stories that I've sent to various publishers, but I haven't heard anything back yet. I would like to get into children's stories, but I haven't had any inspiration." I said. Esme smiled at me and winked before looking pointedly at Edward.

It wasn't entirely true that I hadn't had any inspiration, but what was I supposed to say. 'I've recently gotten into children's stories. Oh, and they were inspired by my imaginary children that look like your son.' I could actually picture Carlisle leaning over to Esme and saying 'Someone needs to spackle her mouth shut before the rest of her intelligence escapes.'

Sounds like a great first impression, but I think I'll take door one. I may be a chicken, but at least they don't think I'm loco en la cabeza… yet. While I had been off talking to myself, Edward and Carlisle had started talking shop. Edward was talking about a drug seeker that had come in and the difficulty they had in dealing with her.

I couldn't help but laugh at some of the things she had said. After that conversation ended, I decided to be a little ornery.

"Dr. Cullen." I said. Edward and Carlisle both whipped their heads around towards me. Esme and I both giggled at their reaction. Edward pretended to glare at me, but his smirk gave him away.

"I'm sorry, I had to try it. It's a good thing you two don't work at the same hospital." I said laughing. We were all laughing when the waiter arrived with our food. I quickly dug in and it was great. Edward said his was great too, so I stole a piece. Esme dropped her fork and Carlisle choked on the bite of food he had in his mouth.

I looked up at them, surprised. They were both looked at Edward, slack-jawed. He finished the bite of food that was in his mouth, smiled at me, stabbed a bite of chicken on my plate, and ate it. Esme cleared her throat and continued eating. I looked over at Edward in confusion.

"I never let people eat off of my plate. When you live with Emmett, you have to learn to protect your food. I guess it's just habit." He said before taking another bite.

"I'm sorry, but you said it was good, and it looked so yummy, and-" I rambled nervously.

"Bella, its fine. Did I look upset? You can have more if you like." He interrupted, pushing his plate closer to me. I couldn't resist taking another bite, it was delicious.

"Thank you Edward." I said.

"Of course, love." He said, taking another bite of my chicken. I nearly gasped at what he called me, but held it in. He must not have realized what he said. Both Carlisle and Esme continued eating like nothing had happened, but I saw a smile behind Esme's napkin every time she brought it up to her mouth.

I was jumping up and down on the inside. Could he love me? I sure hoped so.

After finishing dinner, Carlisle and Esme said they had to leave. I hugged Esme, and she shocked me when she whispered in my ear.

"We all love you Bella." I smiled up at her with teary eyes, and she hugged me again. Carlisle stuck his hand out for me to shake, but I gave him a hug instead. He eagerly returned my hug. We thanked them for dinner before they left, and Edward escorted me out of the restaurant.

I shivered as the cold air hit me when we got outside. Edward shrugged out of his jacket and placed it over my shoulders as he kissed my forehead. He gave our ticket to the valet, and we waited patiently at the curb.

Edward opened the door, and helped me inside the car when the valet pulled up. He turned the heat on high as soon as he got in, and turned and smiled at me. A warm feeling spread throughout my body in reaction to his bright smile.

It wasn't long before Edward was pulling into my driveway. I wasn't ready for us to go our separate ways, but Edward had work tomorrow.

"I had a great time tonight Edward. Your parents are wonderful." I told him.

"Thank you for coming to meet them. I had a great time too." He said as his hand cupped my face. His fingers made their way to the back of my neck as he leaned his head towards mine. He gently pulled me to him, and my lips parted in anticipation.

His lips met mine gingerly, but the gentleness didn't last long before it was over powered by raw hunger. His lips nipped at mine with purpose, and his tongue wrestled with mine. My fingers were in his hair now, pulling him closer.

Our heated kiss slowly died down, and he gave me one last smoldering kiss, full of emotion. He pulled away slowly and laid his head back against the head rest. I watched him take several deep breaths before he opened his eyes.

"Bella, I'm going to be honest with you." I gulped, worried that he was going to say something along the lines of 'This has been fun, but I'm not interested in you like that.' I nodded for him to continue.

"I know we seem to be doing everything to quickly, and I'm very worried about scaring you off, but I can't keep this in…" He paused and took another deep breath. He picked up my hands and intertwined our fingers after kissing each hand.

"Bella, I love you."

**AN: Yes, a cliffy, I know I suck, I'll admit it. I wanted to include another link for you guys. I looked around online to find the spackle comment, and this website had a list of similar comments. They're great, so go check them out. Here's the link:**

**http://www(dot)innocentenglish(dot)com/funny-dumb-quotes-questions-sayings/funny-expressions-stupid-person(dot)html**


	17. Chapter 17: Wicked Games

**AN: The name of this chapter is a shout out to my awesome beta, Trs1, here's to you! Cheers! : ) I own nothing but the three wins I have from playing **_**Apples to Apples**_** at my friend's birthday party.**

**Chapter Seventeen: Wicked Game**

**Alice POV**

I was late, and there was some sort of disaster at the shop. Eric had called me this morning, frantic, because our latest shipments were all wrong. We had some big orders riding on this shipment, so it was a big deal. This could ruin my shop!

I rushed out of the house, barely remembering to change out of my pajamas. Basically, I looked like shit, which matched how I felt. I couldn't believe that I left the house without making myself presentable, but I was willing to risk everything for the sake of my shop.

I parked my car in the lot and hurried around the corner, trying to find my cell to see if Bella or Angela could come in and help me out.

I smashed into something hard and fell backwards, onto my butt, emptying my purse in the process.

"Pardon me, Ma'am. Are you alright?" Said the most beautiful voice I'd ever heard. The voice had a sexy southern twang that made my girly parts sizzle, and my heart beat wildly.

I looked up at the gorgeous man, and took the hand he was offering me. He helped me stand and then bent down to retrieve the scattered contents of my purse. Immediately when his hand touched mine, I felt my nerves stop jumping around like a three-year-old on a sugar high.

I stood there in a daze watching this amazing man pick up everything from my lipstick to my tampons.

"I'm so sorry Darlin'." He said handing me back my purse. Oh, that accent. It took everything inside me to keep from jumping on him.

"My name is-" he was interrupted by Eric running out of the shop.

"Al, you better get in here now!" He nearly yelled. I turned to the man of my dreams and smiled apologetically.

"I'll see you 'round." He said. I saw him glare at Eric before winking at me, and walking away.

**BPOV**

I woke up smiling every morning since our last date. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much. I laid in bed, awake, remembering Saturday night. We'd made out like teenagers in my driveway. And then he had said it.

Those three words, so integral, and precisely what every woman yearns to hear from the man of her dreams.

Edward loved me. _Prince Charming _loved _Cinderella_, rags and all. I felt like a princess, a princess in love.

_FLASHBACK_

"_Bella, I love you." I was speechless, and I'm sure my jaw was resting on my knees._

"_I'm sorry, I'm-" I placed my hand over his mouth to cut him off. He looked at me with wide eyes. It was silent for several minutes, both of us just looking into each other's eyes, before I spoke._

"_I love you too, Edward." The smile he gave me was so bright, I'm sure you could have seen it from the moon. _

"_Oh Bella." Edward said before his lips were on mine again. This kiss was full of passion and emotion. My entire body was throbbing, but it was concentrated in one area. Before I knew what was happening, I was straddling Edward in the driver's seat of his car, and my lips were attached to his._

_I could feel his erection pressed against me, and I ground against it._

"_Bella, I do not want our first time to be in my car." He ground out. I blushed and downcast my eyes._

"_I'm sorry." I told him, still looking downward. His fingers grasped my chin gently and tilted it up. Once my face was even with his he pressed his lips to mine gingerly._

"_You don't ever need to be sorry about this, but why are you being so shy?" He asked. I groaned and let my head drop onto his chest._

"_This is so embarrassing." I mumbled into his shirt._

"_What's embarrassing, love?" He asked as he kissed my head._

"_I'm a…I've never… um… done it." The last part came out as barely a whisper. Edward's hands were on each side of my face now, making me look at him._

"_That is not something that you should be embarrassed about. It's beautiful." Edward said, and then kissed me lightly._

_We continued making out until there was a knock on the window. At first, we just ignored it, but the person kept knocking so we broke apart to see Emmett standing next to Rose, both of them staring at us._

_I climbed off of Edward and gave him one last kiss._

"_I love you." I told him._

"_I love you too." He said before pulling me in for another last kiss. Rose had pulled me out of the car then, and we went in the house, where I was then grilled by Alice, Angela, and Rose about what happened._

PRESENT

It was Friday, and Edward and I hadn't seen each other since Saturday. We'd talked on the phone plenty, but Edward had been extremely busy at work. I got out of bed and dialed his number.

"Hello Love." He said after a single ring.

"Hi." I responded dorkily.

"How are you this morning?" He said in a sexy, groggy voice.

"Good, did you just wake up?" I asked.

"Yeah, Jazz just called and told me he wanted the guys and I to meet him at a club called _Déjà Vu. _I wanted to know if you and the girls want to come with us." He said.

"Sure! Has Ben talked to Angela?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. I'm still in bed so I haven't talked to anyone other than Jazz, and you of course." He laughed, and I blushed, picturing him in bed.

"Well, I'll talk to the girls and let you know if they want to go." I told him.

"Okay, I'll talk to you later beautiful." He replied.

"Bye." I said numbly, my brain in an Edward-induced-fog. I got out of bed once the fog cleared and headed downstairs. Angela was rushing around the kitchen with Rose.

"Guys, what's going on?" I asked. They continued running around like crazy people, and Angela rushed through an explanation.

"Alice needs help at the shop. She said there's some sort of disaster with several major orders. She ran out of here without breakfast, so we wanted to bring her something." She said as Rose rushed upstairs. I told Angela that I would hurry and get ready so that I could help too, and ran upstairs.

I quickly changed and headed back down to find Rose and Angela ready to go. I grabbed my phone and we took off to go save Alice in her wonderland.

Alice immediately sent us all in different directions when we arrived, and I chomped on a pop tart while I worked. After several hours of pure chaos, Alice had fixed all of the problems with the orders. She was amazing.

I had watched her periodically throughout the day. She had been oddly calm, and every now and then she would get a far-away look in her eyes and smile brightly.

We all crashed on the chairs she had outside the dressing room, exhausted. After several minutes of resting, I spoke up.

"Hey guys, Edward called and asked if we wanted to meet his friends at _Déjà Vu. _ Do you guys want to come with me?" I asked, pleadingly.

"Oh, that's the new club right?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, let's go." Rose said as Angela nodded. I picked up my cell and told Edward we would see him there. We decided to meet at the club at 9pm. The girls and I picked up our things and headed home to shower and get ready.

We arrived at the club a little after nine. Alice had taken extra time because she said 'I want to look good in case I meet my future husband.' We all laughed at her joke, unsure if she was actually joking.

We found Edward, Ben, and Emmett quickly.

"Are you from Greece?" I asked from behind him, in a saucy, yet sexy voice.

"No." He responded, turning and smiling at me questioningly.

"Oh, I thought all the gods were from Greece." I said. He laughed heartily before picking me up and then our lips collided.

**EPOV**

Jazz still hadn't shown up when I saw the girls across the club. I dialed his cell quickly, but it went straight to voicemail. I felt a presence behind me that I instantly recognized as Bella.

"Are you from Greece?" She asked in her sexy voice. I turned to look at her and smiled at how beautiful she looked.

"No." I answered, wondering where she was going with her question.

"Oh, I thought all the gods were from Greece." I couldn't resist her any longer. I had missed her so much this past week. I picked her up and pressed my lips to hers roughly. She instantly opened her mouth, giving my tongue access. I grazed her lips with my tongue before I caressed her tongue with mine.

I loved kissing Bella. There was so much energy that vibrated between us, that I was sure the entire room could feel it. I moved one arm so that it was underneath her butt and wound my other hand in her hair. It was so soft.

I titled her head back so that I could kiss her neck, but was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. I lifted my head up, perturbed, and was met with a greasy looking guy with a ponytail.

"Get a room." He said, while looking at Bella's ass. I set Bella down and maneuvered myself in front of her. I stared the guy down until he walked away, giving Bella one last glance that lasted too long for comfort.

"That guy was creepy." She said once he was no longer visible.

"That was an understatement." I agreed. I kissed her lovingly to erase the image of the creepy grease-ball. Our friends returned right on cue.

"Wow Bella. I didn't know you had that in you," Rose said.

"That was hot. We almost brought over a fire extinguisher." Alice added. Bella blushed red and hid her face in my chest.

"Where's Jasper?" Ben asked, scanning the crowd.

"I don't know. He told me he wanted to meet us here at nine, and he's not answering his phone." I told them as I checked my cell again.

"Don't worry man. He probably just got called in to work again." Emmett said clapping me on the shoulder. A DJ came on stage and announced that Amateur Night was beginning and introduced the first act.

There wasn't really anyone that was spectacular, so after an hour, we were ready to leave. The DJ got back on the stage and said that the final act was next, so we decided to stay for one more song.

The lights dimmed and I could see the outline of the person on the stage. I could tell the person was holding a guitar, but nothing else.

**Final Act POV**

I waited until the lights dimmed and climbed up on stage. I sat down on the chair and took a few moments to scan the crowd. When I saw her, it was like my entire world fell into place. I couldn't believe I had found her again. She was so beautiful.

When her eyes connected with mine I knew that I only had one chance to make her heart sing in tandem with my voice. I instantly realized that by the time that this song was over, I did not want there to be any doubts about how I felt about her.

I started strumming the chords on the guitar. The spotlight came on and then I started singing, looking directly at My Darlin'.

_The world was on fire  
No one could save me but you.  
Strange what desire will make foolish people do  
I never dreamed that I'd meet somebody like you  
And I never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you_

No, I don't want to fall in love  
[This love is only gonna break your heart]  
No, I don't want to fall in love  
[This love is only gonna break your heart]  
With you  
With you

I finished the song gazing into her eyes the entire time.

"That was for you Darlin," I said into the microphone, pointing to her. Then I went backstage. I hadn't even noticed if my friends had been here. But they could have been sitting right next to HER and I wouldn't have noticed.

**BPOV**

I immediately recognized the lyrics to Chris Isaac's "Wicked Games." His play was pure poetry, and the fact that he had a voice like a Siren was an added plus.

I watched as Alice sat, unmoving, watching the man on stage singing. I had never seen Alice so still. She wasn't even this still in her sleep! They were staring into each other's eyes and you could feel the electric current running between them.

The song ended and the anonymous musician dedicated the song to Alice. He never mentioned her name, but I watched, dumbfounded, as he pointed at Alice at the end of his number and called her "Darlin" in front of the entire club. Alice blushed, and I instantly knew that she had some explaining to do.

The lights came back on and Alice continued to sit as still as a marble carving. She only came out of her frozen state when she noticed the guy walking towards us with the guitar slung on his back.

She stood abruptly, knocking her chair over, and ran to him, jumping into his arms. I looked over to Edward to find his eyes the size of saucers and slack-jawed, as were the rest of the group.

Alice turned back toward us towing the mysterious guy behind her. She stopped when they reached the table and kissed him on the cheek. Alice smiled like she had just won a yellow _Porsche 911 Turbo_, and I immediately knew that this was major.

"Guys, this is the man I'm going to marry."

**AN: Well, any guesses as to the identity of Guitar Guy? **


	18. Chapter 18: Tonight Is The Night

**AN: My beta rocks out with her socks out… Love ya T!**

**This chapter is extra long, and it's got a lemon! Enjoy peeps!**

**I own nothing, but my bestie lets me look at her Edward lunch box. And I got to eat off of an Edward plate at her birthday. It was really hard not to lick the chocolate off of his face... Okay, so I might have licked the chocolate off of him... You'd have done it too!**

**Chapter Eighteen: Tonight is the Night**

**BPOV**

Rose, Angela, and I ran to Alice and enveloped her into a group hug, squealing our joy and excitement as we laughed and congratulated Alice on her newfound romance. Edward, Emmett, Ben, and the sexy songbird looked at each other with blank stares, clearly confused. We looked at our men and laughed harder, as they were clearly at a loss for words.

"Jazz, you know… you're getting… how long…what's going on?" Edward stammered.

"Alice?" I started, hoping she would explain a little more.

"Alice" Jazz repeated. Alice nodded, with a smile so large it rivaled the _Cheshire Cat's._

"Jasper Whitlock Cullen, Ma'am." He grasped her hand and kissed the back of it, and I had a feeling that he would have tipped his hat had he been wearing one.

I closed my eyes in anticipation of Alice jumping up and down, squealing, but it never happened. I opened my eyes to find her staring lovingly into Jasper's eyes. I felt like I was intruding, so I turned to Edward.

He looked utterly lost and looked at me questioningly. I shrugged, hoping to convey that I knew as much as he did. I glanced around the table and noticed that the rest of the group was just as confused.

At the same moment, we all turned to Alice and Jasper expectantly. We weren't leaving without them telling us what was going on. Don't get me wrong, we were all thrilled for them; we just wanted to know how it happened. They hadn't met any of the times we had all gotten together.

Alice finally looked away from Jasper, and laughed when she saw our faces.

"Bathroom break!" I declared, grasping Alice's and Angela's hands, and Angela grabbed Rose's hand. They followed me into the bathroom and we all turned to Alice, waiting for some juice.

"I pulled a 'Bella' today on my way to the shop. I was in such a hurry and I wasn't looking where I was going, I ran right into Jasper and fell on my butt. He helped me stand up, and when I touched him, I felt… whole. It was like some part of me, that I never knew was missing, had been put in its place." I knew exactly what she was talking about, because that was how I felt with Edward.

"I had spilled my purse all over the place when I fell. He actually picked up everything and put it back in my purse, even my tampons!" We all laughed.

"We never got a chance to introduce ourselves, because Eric came screaming out of the shop that he needed me. I was sad that I didn't get his name, and hoped I would see him again. Then I saw him up on stage at a club I went to with my friends." She said, laughing some more.

"Wait," I said, "Is he why you kept smiling all day?" I asked her. She simply smiled in response, and I knew I had my answer.

We went back out to the guys to find them all laughing and drinking. I looked at Edward, wondering if Jasper had explained anything to them, and he nodded subtly.

We talked for a little while more before we all separated by gender. In other words, we went home, and the guys went back to their place.

**Two Months Later:**

The past two months had gone by exceptionally quick. Edward and I spent every possible moment together. And amazingly, our friends had all found their perfect mate.

I had heard back from one of the publishing companies, and they wanted to publish one of my books. Tomorrow Charlie was coming down to meet us for a celebratory lunch and to meet Edward, my boyfriend as opposed to Edward, Carlisle Cullen's son.

Tonight Edward was taking me out to celebrate.

The sexual tension between Edward and I was tangible. I knew I wanted Edward to be my first, I just wasn't sure that I was ready. That and I knew it was going to hurt, especially since I had felt how massive Edward was.

The doorbell rang signaling Edward's arrival. I was in a beautiful midnight blue dress that I had actually bought without help from Alice or Rose. It fell just above my knees, and twisted in the center of the bust. I felt beautiful.

Edward was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, just as he always did. He kissed me gently and whispered in my ear.

"Bella, you look…" his gaze moved from the top of my head to my feet, and then he looked back up at my face, "there aren't words to describe how wonderful you look."

I blushed and looked down at my borrowed Manny granny shoes. Alice had lectured me about how she shouldn't let me borrow them after the last time that I had insulted her _Manolo Blahniks_. I laughed and told her I would prefer tennis shoes. Yeah, that went over like a lead balloon.

So here I was, red as a tomato, standing in front of the man I love, wearing Alice's favorite shoes. I noticed Angela hand Edward a jacket of mine, he draped it over his arm, and walked me out the door.

"We are going to Bainbridge Island." Edward told me once we got in the car.

"What are we going to do there?" I asked, hoping he wouldn't sense that I was digging.

"Nice try, Swan." He jested. He kissed the back of my hand to be sure I knew he was teasing.

The drive to the ferry was filled with comfortable silence. We didn't have to fill our time with mindless chatter; just being around each other was enough.

We got out of the car once it was parked on the ferry and made our way to the top deck. Edward wrapped his jacket around me from behind as the chilly air made me shiver. I kissed his jaw in thanks. His stubble tickled my face, and sent tingles throughout my body. I shivered again, but for a different reason this time.

We spent the majority of the ferry ride with Edward's arms around me tightly, his nose buried in my hair. I think he liked the smell.

We got back in the car and Edward drove off the ferry. He began driving around Bainbridge like he had lived here for years. He parked in front of _Bainbridge Island Vineyard & Winery. _

"We're going on a quick tour of the winery." He said, answering my unspoken question. I grasped his hand and began pulling him toward the entrance.

"A little excited?" He asked, laughing.

"Duh." I replied, still pulling him behind me.

We toured the winery and vineyard and even got to sample their _Strawberry Wine_. It was wonderful. Edward bought several bottles of various wines and we returned to the car.

"We're going to eat next." Edward informed me, conveniently leaving out the important information. I pouted when I realized he wasn't going to tell me where we were going.

"Did you like my last surprise?" He asked.

"I loved it." I told him, my pout melting marginally.

"Then why won't you let me surprise you again?" He asked. I didn't have an answer, so I shrugged.

"Please just let me surprise you tonight and tomorrow." He begged.

"Okay." I conceded, having not put up much of a fight. I found it hard to be so stubborn around Edward, especially when he would beg.

We pulled up at _The Four Swallows_ restaurant and went inside. We were seated in a private dining area after Edward gave the hostess our name. I mean his name. HIS name.

During dinner Edward asked me tons of questions about my writing. I answered all of his questions, but one question in particular made me pause.

"So what kind of inspiration do you need to start writing those children's books you mentioned?" He asked

"Um…," I paused for a moment, asking myself if I was really going to tell him the answer, "I would like to have my own children be the inspiration for my children's books. You know, use their names, or make the characters look like them, have a like for the same things…" I drifted off, not sure if he was still with me.

The look on Edward's face was one I had never seen before. It looked like a mix of wonder and hope, and his eyes looked far away. I wasn't sure what to do, so I took a sip of my drink. My glass clinked against the table when I set it down, bringing Edward out of his private little world.

"Do you ever picture your children?" He asked, barely whispering.

"Yes." I admitted.

"Do they… how… what do they look like?" He struggled. I fought with myself again about being honest or making something up, but this was Edward I was talking to, I couldn't lie.

"You." I whispered even more quietly than his question had been. I was afraid that I would look up at him and see a look of horror on his face at my confession. I heard his chair move and figured he had left the restaurant.

Tears started rolling down my cheeks, splashing onto my lap. I turned to get tissues out my purse and was shocked to see Edward kneeling next to my chair. He turned my chair towards him and wiped my tears away with his thumbs.

"Why are you crying, love?" He asked me.

"I thought you left." I said through my tears. "I thought I scared you away."

"Bella, there is nothing in this world that would make me leave you." He said, kissing my nose.

"And Bella?" He paused until my eyes met his, "When I picture my children, they look like you. And when I picture my children's mother, it is you." More tears fell as I listened to his confession. He hugged me tightly as I cried.

"Would you like to finish dinner, or are you ready to leave?" He asked once my tears had stopped. I looked at our cold meals.

"I'm done." I told him. He paid our tab and we left the restaurant. Edward stopped outside the car, but didn't unlock it.

"How about some ice cream?" Edward asked, smiling.

"That sounds wonderful." I said, smiling in return. We walked a little ways to a small little ice cream shop, and sat outside to eat our ice cream. I couldn't help but still feel embarrassed about my breakdown, so I was thankful that Edward didn't bring it up.

After we had eaten our ice cream, we headed back to the car. I was surprised when Edward started driving because he was heading away from the harbor.

"Where are we going?" I asked Edward, knowing that I probably wouldn't get an answer.

"Tolo Road." He told me.

"Well that was helpful." I grumbled and Edward laughed. We drove for a few more minutes before Edward parked.

"Where are we?" I asked him, "Besides Tolo Road." I amended.

"We are at _Ashton Woods Retreat Bed & Breakfast._" Edward informed me. The place was beautiful.

"I didn't bring anything." I told him.

"Yes, you did." He said simply, leading me towards one of the houses.

Edward went over to talk to the host and I looked around the little office. I returned to Edward in time to see the host give Edward a set of keys and tell him that we were in the Ashton, which is back in the woods a little ways. He gave Edward a little map and explained the best way to get to our suite.

Edward thanked him and we went back out to the car. Edward popped the trunk and pulled out a black duffel bag, and then my blue suitcase.

"How did you get that?" I asked him.

"I have my ways," he said, "And if I told you, I would have to kill you." He smiled and did his best at an evil laugh, causing me to laugh.

"I can carry one of those." I offered.

"I know you CAN, but you're not going to." He said in a tone that indicated there was no bargaining, so I just followed him.

"Here we are." Edward said as we came up to a blue house surrounded by trees.

"It's gorgeous." I told him as he opened the door.

"Yes, you are." He said turning me around and kissing me passionately. As quickly as the kiss started, it ended, leaving me breathless. Breathless and wanting more.

"You're so cheesy," I paused for a few beats, "It's a good thing I like cheese." I said, winking at him playfully. He kissed me on the nose.

I followed Edward as we toured the suite. All of the rooms were decorated beautifully, and I loved the fireplace and bathtub.

Edward set our bags down in the bedroom and turned to me.

"Would you like to go out and sit on the deck, or maybe walk around outside?" He asked.

"Either one sound good, but I'll only go on a walk if I have better shoes." I told him, pointing to the ones on my feet.

"Yeah, I'm sure if you walked much more in those, your feet would be hamburger." He laughed.

"More importantly," I said, "These are Alice's." His eyes widened in understanding, and I laughed at his response.

"I asked them to pack you good shoes." He informed me. I checked my suitcase and was shocked when I saw what Alice had packed for me. She actually packed me some "comfy clothes," though what shocked me more was the midnight blue negligee, sitting on top of everything else.

I grabbed my tennis shoes and slid them on my feet, not bothering to change out of my dress. I laughed when I thought about how Alice would react if she could me in my dress and tennis shoes.

"Ready?" Edward asked, my jacket once again draped over his arm.

"Yep." I told him. He led me out onto the deck and into the woods. It was a beautiful evening and we walked along a path that Edward picked. We wandered around for a while before returning to the deck of the suite.

"Would you sit on the deck with me for a while?" Edward asked.

"Sure." I replied. He ran into the suite and came back out carrying a blanket. Edward sat down in one of the lounge chairs, and motioned for me to sit in between his legs. I sat down and he covered us with the blanket.

I closed my eyes and sighed in contentment when Edward's arms wrapped around me tightly. I opened my eyes after a few minutes and gazed up at the stars that were just starting to come out.

"I love you, Bella." Edward said, softly.

"I love you too, Edward." I replied, turning around so that I was on my knees, facing him. I gently pressed my lips to his, and they moved in tandem. His tongue traced the outline of my lips and I opened my mouth.

He gingerly probed my mouth with his tongue, as I straddled his lap. He pulled me against him tightly and his hands wound themselves in my hair.

In that instant, I knew. I was ready.

I ground my hips against his, feeling his hardness in my most sensitive area. Edward moaned favorably, so I continued rubbing against him.

"Bella," Edward warned, "We need to stop now, or I'm not going to be able to."

"What… if I… don't want you… to stop?" I asked him as I kissed and sucked on his neck. His hands were instantly on each side of my face, and he pulled my face away from his neck so that he could look at me.

"Bella?" He asked, and I knew that he was asking if he heard me correctly. I nodded and placed my hands on top of his.

"I'm ready." I told him. He brought my face to his slowly, and kissed me gingerly, lovingly. Our kisses grew in intensity and I was stroking him again with myself. The blanket had long ago fallen on the ground, but we remained warm.

Edward's hand slowly moved down to my shoulders, down my back, and stopped with each hand on a butt cheek. He pulled me to him roughly, with the most pressure exactly where I wanted it to be.

He started scooting toward the end of the lounge chair with me in his lap, and then he stood and carried me back into the suite kissing me the entire time.

He laid me gently on the bed and looked at me for reassurance again.

"Please." I begged. His kisses were growing in intensity, and I felt like I was burning from the inside out. His hand had made its way under my dress and was slowly navigating north. I unbuttoned his shirt as quickly as I could with shaky hands.

I was nervous, but more than that, I was excited. This was going to be something I would remember for the rest of my life.

Edward's shirt was off now, and I ran my hands up and down his chest and back. I could feel his muscles ripple under my fingers. His skin was soft, yet hard. He moaned as I drug my fingernails up his back.

I reached down and started to undo his pants as he started rubbing my nipples through the thin material of the dress. I bit back a moan.

"Please don't hold it in, Bella." Edward begged of me. So I didn't. Edward sat me up so that he could pull the dress off. He gasped when he realized that I wasn't wearing a bra.

"You are so beautiful, Bella." Edward said as he looked at my body, hungrily. I tugged Edward's pants down and he stood for a moment so he could kick them off. Edward was in his navy boxer briefs, and I was in my black thong.

Edward laid me back down on the bed and hovered over me.

"I love you, Bella." He said before smashing his mouth into mine. His tongue was immediately in my mouth, tasting me. His head slowly moved down my neck and over my chest. I moaned loudly when his mouth came over one of my nipples and he flicked it with his tongue. His hand was on my other breast, kneading, while his fingers gently pinched and rolled my nipple.

His free hand replaced his mouth and his head continued downward, over my stomach. He kissed every inch of skin on my stomach as his hands moved down my sides. He sat up and lifted one of my feet to his mouth. He kissed my foot, then brought the other foot up and kissed it.

He set both feet down on the bed and began kissing his way up my calves, alternating legs. His tongue flicked out every so often and grazed my skin, adding fuel to my raging fire.

His hands were on my thighs, parting them slightly as his chest rested between my calves.

His fingers hooked around my thong as he kissed each thigh, lovingly. He slowly pulled my thong off.

"Oh Bella, I have wanted to do this for so long." He whispered. His kisses on my thighs moved higher and higher, and I could feel his breath on my wet, sensitive skin.

I gasped in pleasure when I felt his hot tongue on my delicate flesh. He licked me gently, but used more pressure on my clit.

"Oh Edward," I moaned. He began to tease me gently with his fingers and I felt a pleasurable tension building. I wanted the dam to break. It broke when he inserted his fingers into me and curled them as he flicked my clit.

"Edward." I cried out as I clamped around his fingers. He pulled his fingers out of me a brought them to his mouth, where he licked them clean.

"You taste so good, Bella." He said causing me to blush. He kissed me passionately, and I surprisingly enjoyed the taste of myself on his tongue and lips.

"I could taste you forever." He whispered in my ear. I slid my fingers into his boxers and slid them down as far as I could. Edward slid them off the rest of the way and threw them on the floor.

"Are you sure, Bella?" Edward asked again.

"Yes, Edward. Please make love to me." I begged. The fire in his eyes was easily noticeable.

"If it hurts to bad, tell me to stop, okay?" He asked, pleadingly and I nodded in agreement. I knew it was going to hurt.

Edward's hand moved in between us and I felt his head push into me slowly, gently. He let me adjust for a moment and then he pushed into me a little further. He inched his way in gradually until he reached my barrier.

"I don't want to hurt you." Edward said looking into my eyes. I could hear the sincerity in his voice, and see the regret in his eyes.

"Please Edward." I begged again. He kissed me passionately and his hand moved in between us again. Before I could ask what he was doing, I felt his thumb on my clit. He began rubbing slow circles on my clit, careful to remain unmoving inside me.

I could feel myself getting close again, and Edward must have been able to tell, because he pushed himself the rest of the way inside me, breaking my virginity. It hurt like hell.

A tear escaped and made its way down the side of my face.

"I'm so sorry, Bella." Edward said as a tear of his fell on my face. He wiped it off after wiping away mine.

"Do you want me to stop?" He asked.

"No, it doesn't hurt anymore." I told him honestly. He watched me intently as he began moving inside me again. Deciding that I was telling the truth, he began kissing me again, urgently this time. Like he was drowning, and I was his air.

The pressure was building again, and quickly.

"Oh Bella, you feel so good." He moaned. I wrapped my legs around his torso and nearly screamed in pleasure at the new angle and depth he achieved.

"Oh god, Edward."

"Yes Bella, let it go, love." Edward said in my ear. He pulled his face back to watch me as he continued thrusting into me.

"Ed-WARD!" I screamed as I came.

"BELLA!" He yelled as he tensed above me. We were both panting and sweating. Edward rolled us so that we were on our sides. I kissed him lovingly.

"Would you like me to draw you a bath?" Edward asked. I scrunched up my brow. Why would I want a bath, I wondered. Did he think I smelled bad?

"You are probably going to be sore, and a bath will help." He told me as he tucked a stray hair behind my ear.

"I would like that." I told him. He kissed me before he got up, and I watched him walk to the bathroom. He had a nice ass. He returned after a few moments, and picked me up, bridal style, and carried me into the bathroom. He stepped into the tub, still carrying me, and sat down, pulling me into the water with him.

He turned me so that my back was to him, and he placed me in between his legs. He began washing me, delicately with the wash cloth, kissing my body as he went.

The water cooled much too soon, and Edward dried me off before carrying me back to the bedroom. He placed me under the covers and went to drain the bathtub. He returned and climbed into bed, pulling me to him.

"I love you so much, Bella."

"I love you too, Edward." I said, nearly asleep. Several minutes of silence passed, and I think Edward thought I was asleep.

"I'm going to marry you someday soon." He whispered into the dark room, and then I drifted off to dreamland, with visions of a wedding and our beautiful bronze-haired children.

**AN: Whatdidyouthink? Whatdidyouthink? Whatdidyouthink? (Picture Alice jumping up and down asking you this.)**

**Here's the link for Bella's dress:**

**http://shop(dot)nordstrom(dot)com/S/2973371/0~2376776~2374327~2374331~6014146?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6014146&P=2**

**Link for Vineyard:**

**http://www(dot)bainbridgevineyards(dot)**

**Ashton B&B website:**

**http://www(dot)ashtonwoodsretreat(dot)com/blog/suites/**

**I would post the link for the restaurant, but it's under construction right now.**


	19. Chapter 19: I Loved Her First

**AN: As I posted in my other story, I'm sorry I haven't updated as quickly as I usually do. My grandma has been readmitted to the hospital, so my attention has been elsewhere.**

**As always, my beta, Trs1, is awesome, and when she posts her story, we'll all have to go check it out! **

**I don't own the characters, unfortunately. But I do like to play with DocWard… Bella can go away.**

**Chapter Nineteen: I Loved Her First**

**EPOV**

I had been watching Bella sleep for the past half hour. My mind had wandered several times; most of those were about last night. It was nothing short of amazing. I couldn't believe that she had decided to give me such a gift. I hoped it was because she saw us together, forever. I saw it. All of it.

I was nervous for today. I would be meeting Bella's father, as her boyfriend. I had already met him, and gone fishing with him. But I was 100% sure that his view of me had changed instantly when he discovered that I was dating his only daughter.

Bella was starting to stir. She slowly opened her eyes and smiled brightly when she saw me.

"Good morning, Love." I told her, kissing her nose lightly.

"Mornin'." She mumbled as she stretched.

"How are you feeling this morning?" I asked, worried that she might be sore. She closed her eyes for a moment, and I was guessing she was doing a mental inventory.

"Spectacular." She said before she kissed me sweetly.

Our kiss grew heated quickly.

"Please Edward." Bella said against my lips. She spread her legs for me and I slid into her easily.

"Are you okay?" I asked her. She ground her hips against me in response. God she felt good. I began moving within her.

"Faster Edward." Bella panted beneath me. So I went faster.

"Fuck Bella." I moaned as she drug her nails down my back and dug them into my backside, pushing me into her even further.

"Edward." She said breathlessly. I was so close.

"Come for me love." I whispered as I pumped myself inside of her. She screamed my name as she climaxed and I followed immediately after. We laid in bed for a little while longer, in each other's arms, breathing heavily.

"I love you, Edward." Bella said, rolling to face me.

"I love you too, Bella. More than you'll ever know." I said, honestly. We finally got out of bed and got ready for the day. I checked us out after loading the car, and we drove to the harbor.

The ferry was there waiting so I pulled onto it, and we went up to the top deck again. It was warmer today than it had been yesterday, but I couldn't resist wrapping my arms around Bella. She felt so perfect there.

"Are you excited to see your dad?" I asked her. She nodded silently.

The ferry ride seemed a little bit longer today than it had yesterday, but maybe it was just because I was nervous. I think Bella could sense my anxiety.

"You don't have to be so nervous you know." She said when we got back into the car.

"How can I not be nervous?" I asked her, when I'm meeting the father of the woman I want to marry, I added silently. It was like she could read my mind, in that instant, because she smiled at me brighter than I had ever seen her smile, and I returned it, knowing that it would happen.

We pulled up in front of _Steelhead Diner_ and I gave the hostess my name, asking for outside seating since it was so nice out. I knew Bella would want to enjoy the nice weather while she could.

We were seated quickly, and Bella got up to use the bathroom. I ordered her drink while she was gone and looked over the menu. I was guessing that Bella would end up ordering the pulled-pork sandwich.

Bella returned quickly and took a big sip of her tea.

"Thank you." She said motioning to her tea.

"You're welcome, Love." I told her, and then leaned over the table to kiss her softly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

**Charlie POV**

I'd arrived in Seattle a little earlier than I'd expected, so I went to a small bait shop to look around. They had my favorite bait, which was hard to find, so I grabbed some and took it to the counter to pay for it.

I still had time to kill so I drove to the diner and parked, then got out of the car to walk around a little bit. I meandered around the block, peering in the windows of all the little shops that lined the street.

I was still early, but decided to head back to the diner anyways. I was surprised when I turned the corner and saw Bella sit down at an outdoor table with Carlisle's son.

I had met him before, and he was a nice… boy. I didn't want to think of him as a man because there are things that men do that I don't want to think about when that man is dating my daughter.

He was a doctor, so I knew Bella was in good hands, especially with how clumsy she is. But that doesn't mean I don't worry. I will always worry.

Bella had taken a drink and was now looking at him lovingly. I watched from a short distance away as he leaned over the table and kissed her, then removed the hair from her face, gently.

In that moment, I knew. I knew he would be visiting me, and I knew it would be sooner rather than later.

**BPOV**

It was only a few minutes after I returned from the bathroom, that the hostess walked up to our table, followed by my dad.

"Hey Dad," I said, standing up and giving him a hug.

"Hey Bells, you look good sweetheart." He said, making me blush.

"Thanks Dad," I paused and sucked in a deep breath, "Dad this is my boyfriend, Edward. Edward, this is my dad, Charlie." I introduced the two most important men in my life. They shook hands and sat back down. The waiter returned and we ordered our lunch. Edward gave me a funny look when I ordered the pulled pork sandwich.

We sat around the table, talking and laughing while waiting for our food. Edward and my dad got along wonderfully. Dad made sure Edward was entertained… by telling him embarrassing stories of me growing up. Yeah, great times.

His favorite story was time he was one of the last times he visited me in Seattle. We were driving around town, and every time I would touch the brakes, the doors would lock and unlock and the horn would honk. When we stopped at a stop light, I tried to sink down in my seat to avoid the curious looks of people near us, thinking I was honking at them.

This went on for several minutes before I pulled over and turned off the car, thinking there must have been a short somewhere. Alice, Rose and Angela busted out laughing. I couldn't figure out why they thought it was funny, so I looked at them, half curious, half angry. They laughed again, and then Alice held up my spare keys and pushed the panic button. The horn began honking loudly.

I was shocked and pissed. I had really thought that something was wrong with my truck. After a few minutes I began laughing, uncontrollably, and everyone else joined in. Edward, Dad, and I all laughed because, well, it was funny. I decided then and there that I would have to pull this one on Emmett.

Dad especially enjoyed telling tales of my sleep talking, and I hoped that I hadn't said anything embarrassing while in bed with Edward last night. Edward must have known what I was thinking because he smiled secretively. Crap.

I scowled in response and Edward chuckled. Dad looked at Edward, questioningly, and Edward pointed to my scowling face. Dad laughed thinking my scowl had something to do with him telling Edward that I talk in my sleep. I certainly wasn't going to tell him otherwise.

We had finished our lunch but we continued talking for quite a while.

"Bells." Dad said demanding my attention.

"Yeah Dad?" I asked.

"I would like to talk to Edward alone for a few moments." He said, using his 'You are under my roof' tone, even though I wasn't under his roof. I knew that meant that he was all business, and there was no arguing. I looked up at Edward to see what he thought about this. He smiled and nodded encouragingly.

"Okay," I said, "I'll go look at the shops around here." I told them as I stood.

"We'll let you know when we're done." Dad said dismissingly. I left the restaurant quickly, contemplating what their discussion could be about. Obviously it was going to be about me, there was no question of that. I shopped around for a while before my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a text from Edward.

_You can come back now, Love_

_I miss you._

_-Edward_

I returned to the diner and sat down at our table, looking back and forth between Edward and Dad for an explanation. Neither of them were going to give me one.

"Well Bells, I need to get going." Dad said, looking at his watch. I stood to give him a hug.

"Thank you for inviting me for lunch." He said as he squeezed me tightly.

"You're welcome Dad. It was great to see you." I said as I hugged him back. He let go of me and I noticed that Edward was standing too.

"It was great to finally meet you, Sir." Edward said, offering Dad his hand to shake.

"It was great to meet you too, Son." Dad said, surprising both of us. Though his actions surprised us more than his words. He grasped Edward's hand to shake it, but instead of just shaking his hand, he pulled him into a man-hug.

**AN: Who wants to know what Edward and Charlie talked about? **

**As for the truck honking, my best friend actually did that, only it was her 3-year-old daughter that had the spare keys. **

**Kicker: She had given her daughter the keys when they got in the truck! I love you Ang, just remember that while I'm laughing! **

**FF rec: Geek Love by ****SassenachWench****- Fuckawesome story**

**http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5327102**

**Link for diner:**

**http://www(dot)steelheaddiner(dot)com/index(dot)html**


	20. Chapter 20: Stealing Cinderella

**AN: I don't own the characters, but I do own a cool **_**Star Wars **_**bobble-head from **_**McD's!**_** And my pants are, in fact, not on the ground.**

**An Edward-hug goes out to ****dontrun**** for being so awesome and reviewing nearly EVERY chapter! You rock!**

**Thank you to my beta, trs1, for being such hot shit!**

**Chapter Twenty: Stealing Cinderella**

**EPOV**

I almost choked when I heard Charlie say that he wanted to speak with me, alone. Bella looked at me to see if I agreed that it was alright. I nodded and smiled, hoping to look confident. It must have worked because Bella ended up leaving the table.

"You wanted to talk to me, Chief Swan?" I began nervously.

"Edward, I'm just going to cut right to the chase," He said and I nodded for him to continue. "I saw you with Bella as I was coming to the diner." I gulped, thinking back to everything we had done since we arrived, and hoped we hadn't done anything inappropriate. I couldn't think of anything that would have been terribly upsetting. I had kissed Bella, but it was a gentle kiss.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to shoot you." Charlie laughed at my expression. I let out the breath that I didn't realize I had been holding in, causing him to laugh harder. I waited silently for him to continue.

"Just watching you two, earlier, I could see how much you love her." He said looking at me intently. Again, I waited for him to continue.

"So I'm going to ask you," He paused taking a deep breath before he continued, "What are your intentions with my little girl?" I waited again to see if he had anything else to say. He didn't.

"I love her with everything that I am. I would marry her tomorrow, with your blessing, if she said yes." I told him, my eyes never wavering from his face. I hoped this proved the truth behind my statements. Charlie wasn't as surprised as I thought he would be at my revelation.

Charlie made eye contact with me and held my gaze.

"You know that I own several guns, right?" I nodded at his question.

"And you know that I could get rid of you in ways that no one would ever think of?" I nodded again.

"And you know that I know places to put your body so that it will never be found?" I nodded again, but this time I added a verbal comment to my bobble-head syndrome.

"If I ever did anything to hurt Bella, no one would want to find me. In fact, my family would help you dig the hole." I told him honestly.

"She's met your family then?" Charlie asked. I nodded while taking a drink to wet my dry throat.

"They like her?" Charlie asked.

"No, they don't like her. They love her." I said, trying to hold in a laugh. This was Bella we were talking about. How could they not love her?

"She's pretty easy to love." I added when he raised a questioning eyebrow at my laugh.

"Yes. Yes, she is." He agreed, and I thought I could hear a touch of emotion in his voice. I sure as hell wasn't going to ask. It was completely silent for several minutes before Charlie spoke again.

"You should probably tell Bella to come back. I'm sure she thinks that I've disposed of your dead body by now." He laughed lightly. I agreed and took out my cell phone, shooting Bella a text. After I had put my phone away, Charlie spoke again.

"Edward." He said, waiting until my eyes met his before he continued, "You have my blessing." He said quietly. I was shocked. Had he really given me permission to ask Bella to marry me? I wasn't just shocked, I was elated. This was better than I ever expected.

"Wait," My heart froze instantly when he said this. "You said that you would marry her tomorrow, if she said yes." He paused, seemingly gathering his thoughts. "Does that mean you already have a ring?" He asked, but before I could answer his question, Bella returned.

She looked at each of us, expectantly. She wasn't getting anything, from either of us. When Bella's attention was diverted, I nodded in response to Charlie's earlier question. His eyes widened in surprise, momentarily, and then he smiled brightly at Bella.

Charlie left not long after Bella came back. He hugged Bella, and then I offered him my hand. He grasped my hand tightly and surprised me by pulling me into a hug. The hug didn't surprise me as much as what he whispered.

"She'll say yes, son." He said quietly.

**BPOV**

I was shocked when Dad hugged Edward. Edward stood there, completely motionless, his jaw slack. Dad turned back to me.

"You've got a good one here, Bells." He said hugging me once more. "I love you honey."

"I love you too, Daddy." I said, tears brimming in my eyes. I didn't get to see him as often as I should. I watched dad walk away, and turned and hugged a still frozen Edward. As soon as I touched him, he melted and wrapped his arms around me.

A single tear worked its way down my cheek.

"It's alright, Love, we'll visit him soon." Edward said, wiping the tear away. I smiled up at Edward, thanking him silently for understanding me so well.

He grasped my hand, interlaced our fingers, and led me out of the restaurant. We walked quietly back to the car and climbed in.

"What would you like to do now?" Edward asked.

"Can we go to your house?" I asked, not wanting to end our time together, but not wanting to be interrogated by Alice, Rose, and Angela if we went to my place.

"Absolutely." Edward grinned. I was thankful he didn't want to get rid of me yet.

He interlaced our fingers again after starting the car, and we headed to his house. The drive was silent.

When we arrived at Edward's, I was surprised to see Rose's car in the driveway. We looked at each other and shrugged, then made our way into the house. Ben and Angela were on the couch watching a movie and cuddling. Well, there was a movie on, but they were actually watching each other.

They hadn't noticed us, so we quietly made our way past them and into the kitchen. Once we were in the kitchen, Edward's attention went to the door to the garage. I could hear faint noises coming from the other side.

Edward motioned for me to follow him and he silently opened the door. The silence didn't last.

There, on the hood of his car, his _Vanquish_, were Emmett and Rose, making out.

"EMMETT FUCKING CULLEN!" Edward yelled. Emmett stood abruptly and knocked Rose off of him. She almost hit the ground, but he caught her right before impact.

"Stay the FUCK off my car!" Edward yelled at a sheepish looking Emmett. Edward was in the garage now, standing in front of Emmett. Rose walked around Edward and came into the kitchen, closing the garage door behind her. She hugged me quickly and then sat down.

"Emmett said Edward would be pissed if he caught us." She said nonchalantly. I stared at her, open mouthed.

"That was your idea?" I asked.

"No, my idea was to fuck on the hood of the car. We just didn't get that far." Rose said, smirking.

"Rosalie!" I said. We both laughed.

"Just how great was your weekend?" Rose asked, knowingly. I smiled and blushed in response.

"I'm not going to force any details out of you now, but you know you'll be telling us all about it when we get home." Rose promised. I nodded.

"Where's Alice?" I asked her.

"Her and Jazz went out." Rose said.

Edward and Emmett returned with their arms around each other. They were laughing and teasing each other. Rose and I looked at each other in surprise. Men.

Edward came over and kissed me passionately. We broke apart when someone cleared their throat. We looked up to see Alice and Jasper standing in the kitchen. Alice squealed and jumped onto me. Luckily Edward caught me before I could fall.

"I missed you too, Alice." I told her. Angela and Ben had joined us now, and Angela came and hugged me next.

"Emmett already gave me a hug, so Jazz and Ben, where's my hug?" Edward questioned, using a high pitched attempt at a feminine voice. We all laughed at his antics as Ben and Jazz made their way over to Edward. The girls and I moved out of the way quickly.

Ben stood to Edward's left and Jazz stood on his right. We all watched, curious as to what they had planned. Jazz grinned mischievously and Ben leaned into Edward.

"Oh Edward," he moaned as he placed his hand on Edward's chest. "I missed you so much." Edward's eyes were huge.

"I missed him more." Jazz said as he placed his hand on Edward's thigh. Edward's jaw dropped. Ben and Jazz leaned in closer and Edward shot out from between them right as they were going to kiss him.

The girls and I were laughing so hard we could barely stand. Edward was wiping the side of his face grumbling about disgusting brothers, causing us to laugh even harder. By the time I was able to stop laughing, I had the hiccups.

"Serves you right for laughing at me." Edward fake pouted. I just laughed and kissed his cheek.

"I think we should all go to a club tonight!" Alice yelled from another room. We all agreed and the girls and I went home to get ready.

Once we got home, Alice went screaming up the stairs and into her room. Her scream was muted for a few moments before it became louder again. She stopped in front of us and handed us each a garment bag.

"These are our dresses. They all match. Bella, yours is turquoise. Rose, yours is pink. Angela, yours is green. And mine is purple. They are so awesome. We are going to look so hot, the guys are going to freak when they see us." Alice said quickly, her arms flailing around wildly. I wondered what Jasper had given her today. It was obviously something with way too much sugar or caffeine.

"Alice, chill out a little and we'll go get ready!" I suggested. Alice must have thought that was a good idea, because she turned and headed back up the stairs, still mumbling about how amazing we were all going to look, and something about my makeup. Sigh.

I finished my shower quickly, having already taken one today and wrapped myself in a towel. I headed to Alice's room to get my orders.

"Bella, put some of this in your hair, blow dry it, and then come back in here." She bounced over to me and deposited a container in my hand, bouncing back over to her mirror. I headed back to my bathroom and did as I was told. When I returned to Alice's room, her hair and make-up was done.

"Sit." She motioned to one of the two empty chairs. I sat down and she started working. Angela and Rose joined us after several minutes, Rose's hair and make-up also complete. Angela sat in the chair next to me.

"Ok Bella, we are all here with open ears, so spill it!" Alice demanded.

"Spill what? I don't have anything to drink." I said, knowing they wanted the dirt on my trip with Edward. Alice pulled my hair.

"Ouch." I said, rubbing my head. I decided to tell them before I lost an eyebrow. I knew how serious Alice got when it came to getting what she wanted. I knew she would have no qualms about shaving off one of my eyebrows. Yes, just one. I knew from experience.

"He took me to Bainbridge Island. Our first stop was a winery. Edward taught me about tasting wine. He told me that crystal wine glasses are better than glass wine glasses for tasting wine because the inside of the crystal is ribbed, so when you swirl it around, it oxygenates the wine better which brings out the taste." I took a breath and continued.

"He even had them bring out a glass wine glass and had me taste the difference. I never knew that your glass had such an effect on the taste. We bought several bottles after our tour was over, and then he took me to eat."

"Where did you go?" Rose interrupted. I told them about the restaurant and the talk that Edward and I had. Alice and Rose got mad at me for making them cry and ruin their make-up. Angela's and I weren't wearing any make-up yet, so our tears didn't mess anything up.

I waited for them to stop crying before I continued, then I told them about the bed and breakfast, and thanked them for packing my bag for me.

I described the beautiful rooms and scenery for them, and told them about our walk. I stopped at the point where Edward and I sat down in the lounge and star-gazed. I smiled, remembering what happened after that.

"Isabella!"

"Marie!"

"Swan!" Alice, Rose, and Angela had each yelled a name. I came out of my memories to find all three girls looking at me.

"What?" I asked.

"I know that's not the end of the story, and judging by that smile, I know I'm right." Alice said, and then waited patiently for me to continue. I sighed, hoping Edward wouldn't be upset with me for telling them.

"I am no longer a virgin." I told them, not wanting to share such special and intimate details. I felt like acid was being poured in my ears when I was graced with screams from all three girls.

I was bombarded with questions once they stopped screaming.

"How was it?" Angela asked.

"Amazing." I answered honestly.

"Did you have an orgasm?" Rose asked.

"More than once." I replied. More screaming. I answered the rest of their questions while the girls finished getting us ready. Once their questions were all answered, I told them we had a repeat performance this morning. More screams and questions.

"So what did you guys do today, before you came to the guys' house?" Rose asked and I told them about lunch with Charlie. They were shocked that I left Edward alone with Charlie and that he was in one piece when I returned.

"So what did they talk about while you were gone?" Alice asked.

"I wish I knew." I told them. "Neither of them would tell me anything." I huffed in annoyance. Alice looked at Rose knowingly.

"What?" I asked her.

"Oh, nothing." She said flippantly. I decided it wasn't worth it to argue, and continued to sit, enveloped in my memories. What a great place to be.

The door bell rang just after we had gotten our dresses on.

"Alice, we need shoes!" Angela hollered.

"Check your closets." She yelled back. I found my shoes immediately when I opened my closet, because they were the only shoes in my closet. All my other shoes were missing. The shoes were beautiful. Beautiful death traps.

"Alice, I can't wear these." I hollered.

"You don't have any choice." She sang from her room, and I knew that I wouldn't get my other shoes back until after tonight. Grrrr.

I made my way down the stairs slowly. I got nearly to the bottom of the stairs before I tripped. Edward caught me mid-air and stood me up, but he didn't let go. He wrapped arms around me tightly.

"Complaining about the shoes now?" Alice whisper-giggled in my ear. I wasn't. We climbed into the cabs we were taking and headed back to _Déjà Vu_, the club where Jasper had played.

"It's karaoke night." Alice exclaimed when we arrived at the club. We grabbed a table and the guys got us drinks. They returned with shots. Great. We all took our shots and the guys left to get us more drinks.

"No more shots!" I yelled to Edward. He turned to me and winked. The karaoke started and Emmett and Alice hauled ass up to the DJ and signed up. We watched the first few acts before Emmett climbed up on stage and began to sing.

_Pants on the ground  
Pants on the ground  
Lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground_

_With the gold in your mouth  
Hat turned sideways  
Pants hit the ground  
Call yourself a cool cat  
Lookin' like a fool  
Walkin' downtown with your pants on the ground_

_Get it up, hey!  
Get your pants off the ground  
Lookin' like a fool  
Walkin' talkin' with your pants on the ground._

_Get it up, hey!  
Get your pants off the ground  
Lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground_

We all cracked up and the crowd went crazy when Emmett actually dropped his pants. He was wearing leopard print boxer-briefs. Rose wolf-whistled at Emmett as he made his way off stage. He came over to our table and Rose jumped into his arms, kissing him heatedly.

Several more acts came on before all four of us girls went up. Alice had signed us up for _Girls Just Wanna Have Fun._ It was so much fun, and we continued drinking and laughing until the place closed. We climbed into waiting cabs and went home.

Edward came home with me, but we barely had our clothes off before we fell asleep. Me, curled into his warmth, and his arms wrapped around me protectively.

**AN: Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**The girl's dresses: Alice is in purple (we're going to pretend there is a purple dress), Rose is in pink, Angela is in green, and Bella is in turquoise.**

**http://www(dot)edressme(dot)com/tseq07(dot)html**


	21. Chapter 21: The Lemon Song

**AN: I don't own the characters. I do have a **_**Woody **_**toy that my son just gave me, though he will probably take it back in a few minutes… Indian giver. : (**

**BTW – I'm bringing the lemons this chapter, so I need some volunteers to bring cups, sugar, pitchers, etc. Any one?**

**Chapter Twenty-One: The Lemon Song**

**BPOV**

I woke in the morning to the feeling of soft, loving kisses all over my body. I opened my eyes to see Edward's head on my chest, peppering kisses along the edge of the strapless bra I had left on last night. He continued his way down my belly, not realizing I was watching him.

His assault of kisses stopped when he reached the edge of my underwear, and he looked up at me. His eyes widened when he saw that mine were open.

"Good morning, Love." He said against the tender skin near my belly button. I giggled as his breath tickled me.

"It is a good morning." I replied, my voice no longer laced with sleep. Need filled me like a druggie seeking their next hit. My drug was the one and only Edward Cullen.

He began kissing around the top of my lace boy shorts, slowly inching them down. I squirmed around underneath Edward, trying to find some friction. He chuckled as he quickly removed the offending garment.

His lips returned to their previous location to tease me more, as his hands gently caressed my legs, never missing an inch.

"You smell so good Bella." Edward whispered between kisses.

"Please Edward." I begged. I moaned as I felt his fingers tease my wet core. My moan must have encouraged him on, because he plunged two fingers inside me.

"Oh." I squeaked out in pleasure as his warm, wet tongue made contact with my sensitive clit. He worked me with his fingers, as his tongue caressed my sensitive bundle of nerves. Edward moaned against me, sending vibrations throughout my entire body.

"Yes, Edward." I gasped as his fingers hit the right spot inside me. His fingers started moving with more fervor, bringing me to the edge. Then his tongue picked up speed on my clit. I screamed Edward's name as I climaxed.

Edward climbed back up the bed and laid down next to me, pulling my body to his and wrapping his arms around me.

"I love you Edward." I told him before my lips were on his, tasting the mixture of Edward and myself on his mouth. Edward's lips moved passionately with mine as I pushed him onto his back and straddled him.

I was nervous about this. This was something I had never done before. Truthfully, I had never had the desire to do this before, but I had it now. I had the desire to pleasure Edward the way he had me. I wanted to use my mouth on him.

I sat up, still straddling Edward. I hadn't realized that I had messed up his hair so much while his head was between my legs. I giggled when I saw how disheveled it was. My giggled turned into a moan when he bucked his hips, causing his erection to push against me more firmly.

"Edward." I paused, nervously.

"Love?" He questioned half-heartedly, and I knew it was because he didn't have much blood flowing to his brain at the moment.

"I… um… want to… use… my mouth." I stuttered. Edward sat up and kissed me lovingly, he tried laying back and pulling me with him. Sigh, I obviously wasn't clear.

I pushed him back down in bed and crawled lower. I was now straddling his calves. I kissed his belly button and hooked my fingers in his boxers. Edward immediately realized my intentions and he moaned in anticipation, yet his hands stopped mine from pulling his boxers off.

I looked up at him questioningly, a small frown on my face.

"Bella, you don't have to do this." He said as he sat up. I stopped him from saying anything else by covering his mouth with mine. He returned the kiss immediately. I again, pushed him so that he was lying down.

"I've never done this before, so I'm going to need you to tell me if I do something wrong." I whispered in his ear as I returned my hands to grip his boxers. He lifted his hips so that I could pull his boxers down.

I was in awe at what I saw. While we had made love, I had never, truly, looked at him. Here he was, laying before me naked, in all his glory. My God.

I threw his boxers behind me somewhere and began kissing his thighs, working my way toward his waiting erection. I heard his sharp intake of breath as my cheek brushed against his hardness. I took a deep breath and channeled all my courage. I wanted to do this right.

I looked up at the look on Edward's face, his eyes closed tightly as I grasped him experimentally. He moaned and I smiled, knowing that I was causing that beautiful sound to come from this beautiful man.

I ran my hand up and down his length several times, enjoying the noises he was making, before I felt the desire to lick the fluid that had accumulated at the tip. So I did.

"Bella." Edward moaned as he exhaled. This encouraged me to do more so I placed the tip of him inside my mouth and swirled my tongue around him. I felt him twitch in my mouth as I pushed my mouth down further.

His hands came up to my head and began caressing me. He wasn't holding me down, or forcing me to do anything. He was just touching me lovingly. I bobbed up and down on him as his noises got louder. I moved my hands to try and support myself better and accidently grazed his balls.

His sudden intake of breath and soft moan made me bring my hand back to his sack. I gently grasped his balls in my hand and massaged softly.

"God Bella." Edward gasped. His breath was becoming labored and quick. "That feels so good." I smiled around him, pleased that I was doing this right.

"I'm so close baby." He whispered and I bobbed up and down faster. I couldn't get all of him in my mouth, so I placed my hand on what my mouth couldn't hold. Edward's reaction was instantaneous.

"Bella… gonna… cum." Edward stuttered out. I moved my mouth but continued working him with my hand, up and down. I felt him get larger and harder in my hand before his entire body tensed.

"Bella!" He cried out as he came, all over my hand and his stomach. I crawled up next to him in bed and laid down. We snuggled for a few moments before Edward spoke.

"Bella, that was amazing." Edward said, kissing my head. I looked up at him and grinned. He smirked an evil little smirk before pulling me on top of him. I shrieked when my stomach came into contact with the, now cold, fluid on his stomach.

"Well, would you look at that?" Edward said, "It looks like we both need a shower." He laughed and I joined in.

"Yes we do." I agreed. He sat up, with me still on his lap and scooted to the end of the bed. He stood quickly and kept his arms wrapped around me. I wrapped my arms and legs around him tighter as he walked toward my bathroom.

He set me down the counter and kissed me lovingly. Our tender kiss quickly grew heated, and I could feel him hardening against my thigh. I ran my hands down his back and grabbed his butt, pulling him against me.

He groaned as he leaned me back. He smirked devilishly at me as he walked his fingers up my thigh. I hissed in pleasure when he finally thrust two fingers inside me.

"You're so wet Bella." Edward said, as he watched his hand between my legs. His other hand grasped one of my feet and placed it on the counter, repeating with my other foot, then he gently spread my knees apart.

He pulled his fingers out and licked them, maintaining eye contact as he sucked me off of his fingers. He kissed me passionately as he brought his hips in between my legs and began teasing me with the tip of his cock.

"Please Edward." I begged, "I need you." That was all he needed to hear evidently, because he sheathed himself inside me quickly. I moaned loudly at the feel of him moving inside me.

"Oh Bella." Edward whispered in my ear. "You feel so good."

"Oooohhhh." My reply was nothing more than a moan. Edward brought his hand down between us and began rubbing circles on my clit.

"So… close." I gasped.

"Yes Bella, let it go, Love." Edward said, looking deeply into my eyes.

"Edward!" I yelled with my climax, and I felt his body go rigid.

"Bella." He grunted as he came. We stayed there for a few moments, breathing heavily.

Edward pulled out of me and stood to turn on the shower. He turned back to me, offered me his hand, and helped me off the counter. Edward hugged me to him tightly.

"I love you Bella." He said as he pulled back from the hug.

"I love you too, Edward." I replied, kissing his lips softly. I turned toward the shower and lifted my foot to climb in, but was stopped by Edward's arm around my waist.

"Does it hurt?" Edward asked. I furrowed my brows in confusion.

"Does what hurt?" I asked.

"Your butt." He said turning my back towards the mirror. I turned my head and looked in the mirror. My butt was quite red from laying on the counter.

"It doesn't hurt," I laughed, pulling him into the shower with me. We stepped into the spray and Edward began massaging my butt cheeks.

"It doesn't hurt," I repeated, "but that feels very nice." He chuckled and continued his massage.

I turned us so that Edward was out of the water and grabbed the shampoo, pouring some in my hand. Since he was already bending down to reach my butt, I was able to reach his head easily. I massaged the soap into his hair until it was nice and foamy, then I turned us again so that he was in the water.

I rinsed his hair as he picked up the shampoo and proceeded to wash my hair. We turned again and rinsed my hair. I grabbed the body wash and began washing Edward's body. When he turned his back to me, I gasped at the long red trails down his back.

"What?" Edward questioned.

"Is the view that spectacular?" He joked.

He turned around when I didn't respond and looked at me worriedly.

"You have scratches all over your back. I scratched you." I said, trying to fight the tears.

"Love, I enjoy it when you get rough with me. It didn't hurt." Edward promised then kissed me passionately.

"You do?" I asked, disbelieving.

"Oh yeah." He reassured, then bit down gently on my neck. I moaned. Edward lifted an eyebrow. I smiled, knowing he had proven his point, and we continued to wash each other.

By the time we made it downstairs, it was 10am and everyone was in the kitchen. I wasn't sure who stayed where, but everyone was dressed in new clothes. I was happy that Edward had been keeping clothes here since that meant he didn't have to go home to change.

"Nice of you guys to finally join us physically, instead of just vocally." Emmett teased and I was instantly fire engine red. I tucked my head into Edward's chest and he wrapped his arms around me protectively.

I could feel his chest vibrating as he chuckled, and for some reason, it made me brave. I turned and looked at Emmett.

"You just wish you could have had as much fun we did this morning." I said, walking past him to get some coffee. I poured two cups and fixed one for me, and one for Edward. I turned to take Edward his coffee and found everyone staring at me, slack-jawed. Edward looked at me proudly, with a hint of fire in his eyes.

I winked at him as I handed him his coffee. He took a sip then bent down, his mouth by my ear.

"I think that was the sexiest thing I've ever heard you say." He whispered then nibbled my earlobe. I sucked in a sharp breath and felt myself grow wet, again. This man was turning me into a sex-fiend.

I smiled up at him brightly. I didn't mind being a sex-fiend with him.

"Hell BlueBell, I didn't know you had it in you!" Emmett bellowed once he came out of his surprised stupor, causing everyone to laugh.

I smiled at his nickname for me, remembering what he told me when I asked him how he picked it.

FLASHBACK

_It was one of our many movie nights at our house and we were sitting around waiting for the movie to start._

_Emmett had decided to go around the room telling everyone the nicknames he had for us._

"_Alice has two. Pixie for when she's in a good mood, and Sprite for when she's…not." He said smiling. Jasper is Jazz Hand's because he's so good at knowing what people are feeling._

"_Ben's is Obi Wan… you know, Old Ben?" He laughed loudly._

"_Angela is J-La, like J-Lo, because she can sing!" He said, recalling one of our karaoke nights._

"_Then of course there's Eddie and BlueBell!" He finished. We all waited for him to explain my nickname. I couldn't take the suspense, so I finally asked what it meant. He looked at Edward before he explained. My eyes followed his and I noticed that Edward was blushing._

"_Well BlueBell, our Eddie here really likes it when you wear blue." I looked at Edward again to see his blush had darkened. I kissed him sweetly and squeezed his hand._

END FLASHBACK

"How about we go to the park and have a barbeque?" Alice said loudly, breaking me out of my reverie. Everyone was nodding their heads, so I just nodded with them. The guys left after saying that they were going to get supplies and the girls headed to the grocery store.

A few hours later, we all met at the park and unloaded our vehicles. The guys fired up the grill and started a game of football while I talked to the girls. I kept stealing glances at Edward while he played. He moved so stealthily. It was almost inhuman.

He caught me watching him at one point, and sauntered over, ignoring the guys when they hollered at him about being 'pussy-whipped.'

He picked me up off the table and kissed me. I felt it in my toes. I wrapped my legs around his waist and kissed him back. We kissed passionately for several minutes before he set me down. He released his hold on me, but grabbed my hand and led me away from our friends.

He slowed when we got to the trail that led around the lake, but he had yet to utter a single word. I doubted he was upset after the kiss we had just shared.

We had made it nearly halfway around the lake when Edward suddenly stopped, sat down under a huge tree, and pulled me down so that I was sitting in front of him, but facing him. I looked at him questioningly.

"Bella." He started then took a big breath. His nervousness was really worrying me. Was he going to break up with me? Tell me it just wasn't working out for him?

He must have seen the worry on my face because he smiled a beautiful smile and brought his hand up to my face. He cupped my face gently as his thumb caressed my cheek. He took another deep breath before he spoke again.

"Bella, I love you so much. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that being in love would feel this great. I feel like a puzzle piece I didn't know I was missing has been found. You are that puzzle piece. Hearing you laugh with your friends was the most beautiful sound I've ever heard." Tears were streaming down my face as he reached into his pocket.

"Bella, I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. It's too soon for a proposal, so this is a promise. A promise that I will make you my wife, and that I will love you forever, and ever, and a day." He said.

"This isn't a promise ring, it's a promise necklace. It belonged to my Grandmother. She passed it down to me to give to my wife. That's going to be you, Bella, if you wish." He held out a beautiful heart shaped pendant with diamonds.

"Edward, it's beautiful." I whispered, afraid that if I spoke any louder, this moment would vanish. It took me a moment to realize that he was waiting for an answer, and I looked up at his face to see a single tear roll down his cheek.

"I have a promise to make then too." I said quietly. "I love you Edward, and I promise to say yes." I finished before I tackled him.

Edward put the necklace on me and then we made out like teenagers for a while. I felt incredible.

When we got back to the gang, the food was ready and everyone had already eaten.

"Didn't get enough of him earlier, BlueBell?" Emmett questioned. I fingered the heart on my necklace and smiled at Edward.

We sat down side-by-side at the picnic table. I leaned my head on Edward's shoulder and closed my eyes. Edward placed his hand on my thigh and squeezed gently.

"BELLA!" Alice gasped, startling me. I jumped and tried to look around to see what was wrong, only to end up falling backwards off the bench. I had been holding Edward's arm, so I pulled him down with me.

We hit the ground with a thud, and I looked over at Edward to make sure he was alright. He was smiling, trying not to laugh. I burst out laughing and was joined by everyone else.

After we had calmed down, Edward stood and helped me up.

"What were you hollering about Alice?" I asked her once we were seated again.

"Where did you get that?" She asked, pointing to my necklace. I peeked over at Edward and smiled when I saw he was looking at me.

"Edward gave it to me." I said. Alice, Rose, and Angela stood immediately and pulled me up from the bench.

"We're stealing her for a few minutes." Rose told Edward. They hauled me away without waiting for a response.

They stopped once we were far enough away that the guys couldn't hear us.

"SPILL! SPILL!" Alice shrieked, jumping up and down excitedly. I told them about everything Edward had said, and that the necklace belonged to his Grandmother.

"His Grandmother gave it to him." I smiled. "To give to his wife."

"Oh Bella, we're so happy for you!" They said happily.

All of us had tears in our eyes, and we had a giant group hug before going back to the guys.

They were cleaning up when we returned to the table. We loaded everything into the vehicles and Edward told them that we were going somewhere and we would see them later.

"I'm sorry we missed dinner." He said once we were in his car.

"It's alright." I said, only to be betrayed by my stomach when it growled loudly.

"So where would you like to eat?" Edward laughed.

"Let's just go somewhere quick." I told him. He nodded and after a few minutes, we pulled into _Q'doba. _We ate quickly and Edward stopped at his house to grab his work clothes for tomorrow.

The house was quiet, so we went upstairs and changed into our pajamas. I removed my necklace and put it into my jewelry box, and then we climbed into bed. I kissed Edward then laid my head on his chest.

"I love you Edward." I said as I listened to his heart beat.

"I love you too, my Bella." Edward said, kissing my head. I fell asleep knowing that when I dreamt of the little green eyed children, it was our future that I was seeing.

**AN: Whew, that sure was good lemonade! : )**

**Bella's necklace:**

**http://www(dot)tiffany(dot)com/Shopping/Item(dot)aspx?fromGrid=1&sku=GRP02650&mcat=148210&cid=287465&search_params=s+5-p+11-c+287465-r+101323351-x+-n+6-ri+-ni+0-t+**


	22. Chapter 22: Darkness

**AN: Just in case anyone doesn't understand it yet, I don't own anything but the shovel I'm going to need to clean up all this snow.**

**My beta is awesome and has begun posting her story; you should all go check it out because it's the shit. **

**It's called **_**Moth to a Flame. **_**Here's the link:**

**http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5717921/1/Moth_to_a_Flame**

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Darkness**

**EPOV**

It had been two weeks since our wonderful weekend on Bainbridge Island. I was currently at work, and missing Bella. Of course I missed Bella. If she wasn't right next to me, I missed her. She could be across the room from me, and I would feel like I was missing that one final puzzle piece that completed the entire puzzle.

We weren't extremely busy, but we had some serious patients. We had a nose bleed in 22, a chest pain in 12, a car wreck in 13, a hypoglycemic patient in 14, and the rest of the non-trauma rooms were filled with abdominal pains, nausea and vomiting, fever, and various other cases. We had two open trauma rooms.

"JoDell, I need central line set up in room 12." I told her. I knew JoDell would get me everything I needed. I went to examine another patient while JoDell got me set up. I finished my exam, wrote a few orders, and headed in to do the central line.

Like I had expected, JoDell had everything set up. Ultrasound was plugged in and ready to go, and all of the supplies I needed were lining the cupboard. I talked for a few minutes with the patient and his family.

I informed them of the risks and benefits of the procedure. Once they had signed the consent form, I put the gel on the ultrasound probe and placed it on the patient's neck.

"JoDell, would you turn off the lights please?" I asked, so that I could see the ultrasound screen better. She turned off the lights and I resumed the procedure.

I pointed out the artery and the vein, and I explained to the patient that you could tell them apart because the vein 'blinks' at you. Or in layman's terms, when you push down with the ultrasound probe, the vein squishes and you can only see the artery.

Once I had gotten a good look, I set up my sterile field, got my sterile gown and gloves on, and performed the procedure. I gave the nurse verbal orders for meds, and ordered a chest x-ray to check placement of the central line.

I headed back to the nurse's station to document on the patient's chart. When I was finished documenting I grabbed a chart for a new patient.

"Northwest this is Medic 7." The radio crackled.

"This is Northwest, go ahead Medic 7." One of the nurses replied.

"We are en route to your facility with a 23 year-old female involved in an MVA. Positive LOC, she has a large laceration on her forearm. VS are 92/54, 122, 24, and 92% on 4L via nasal cannula." The paramedic reported.

According to the paramedic, we had another car accident victim. She'd lost consciousness, and has a cut on her forearm. Her blood pressure is quite low, and her pulse is high. Her respirations are a little high as well. Her blood oxygen level should be higher on 4 liters of oxygen.

I mentally dissected the information we were given on my way to examine my next patient. I still had four hours before I got off work and would be able to see my Bella.

**BPOV**

I had helped Rose at her shop for a few hours this morning, and then I helped Alice at her boutique. I stopped and got a bite to eat before heading to meet up with Angela. She was taking photos of a large family and she wanted some help with the kids.

I could always get kids to laugh for the camera, so Angela practically begged me to help. She said that this family could make or break her photography career, so how could I say no? Besides, there were going to be kids, so that alone made me want to help.

I drove to the park and climbed out of the truck, grabbing my small bag of supplies. I saw Angela surrounded by a group of people and headed over.

"Hey Bella." Angela greeted me when she saw me.

"Hi Ang!" I replied, waving happily.

"Bella, this is Kate and Garrett. Kate and Garrett, this is Bella. She is wonderful with children and she can make them laugh at the drop of a hat." Angela introduced me to the couple standing next to her. Kate and Garrett were both very good-looking people, and Kate had a small baby on her hip. We shook hands and talked for a few moments while the kids ran off some energy.

Angela knew what she was doing. You can't bring kids to a park and expect them to sit down and cooperate. You needed to let them run a little bit, and then you could try for pictures. I counted five children, and I estimated that they were all younger than seven.

Angela decided that it was time to try for some pictures, so Kate and Garrett rounded up their children while Angela and I discussed the various backgrounds and groupings that she was going to use.

I got the kids laughing immediately once they were all settled, and it didn't take long for Angela to get good shots with each background and grouping that she had wanted. She then asked Kate and Garrett if there were any special shots that they wanted to try. They had a few that they wanted to do, so we did those before calling it a wrap.

I followed Angela to her newly rented studio and looked at the pictures with her once they were loaded onto the computer. She had done a spectacular job, and I knew the family would love their pictures.

Angela decided to stay and do some editing so I told her I was heading home. I had some laundry that needed to be done, and it sure wouldn't hurt to clean the house.

I hopped in the truck and headed home. I decided to take a detour and stop at the grocery store. We needed a few things, one of those being cookie-dough ice cream. That was a staple at our house. Not having any was not allowed. It just wasn't.

I grabbed the few things that we needed, and hit the ice cream aisle last. I grabbed a few containers of the heavenly concoction and went to check out.

I laid my items on the belt and scanned the gossip magazines while I waited. The headlines on those things always made me laugh. I mean did they really think that we were going to believe something along the lines of: Anne Hathaway Envies Angelina's "Kissing" Skills? See, like I said, laughable.

"Did you find everything you were looking for?" The cashier asked, interrupting my bout of silent laughter.

"Yes, I did. Thank you." I replied, handing over my cloth shopping bags for her to use.

"So did Edward dump you yet?" She asked sneering. I looked at her name tag which read Jessica.

"Excuse me Jessica, could you please finish bagging my groceries so I can get home to my Edward?" I asked. My voice was laced with so much saccharine that it would have been nearly impossible to not sense the sarcasm.

Jessica finished ringing me up, so I paid and left. I loaded the groceries into the truck and then I was on my way. I stopped at a red light. As it turned green, I saw a vehicle out of the corner of my eye. It was coming too quickly to be able to stop. I watched as it ran the red light, thankful that I had seen it.

I continued on my way home. I was only a few blocks away when it happened. I saw the vehicle moments before it hit me, and recognized it as the same vehicle that had run the red light. I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen upon impact, and once the truck stopped moving, I noticed that my arm was bleeding profusely. Then everything faded into darkness.

**AN: What? A cliffy? **

**Yes, a cliffy. Review if you want a teaser! : )**


	23. Chapter 23:I Hope They Get to Me in Time

**AN: I still don't own anything, but I do have several assignments that I am working on for school, does anyone want those?**

**A huge THANK YOU goes out to my beta, trs1, for making this story so much better! You are a beta rock-star T!**

**I also want to thank everyone for their reviews! I love to read them, and the little hamster in my head runs faster in the writing wheel! :)**

**Check out this song/video. It's great! The song is by Darius Rucker, AKA – Hootie without his Blowfish. **

**http://www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=Q_4diWW-k5Y**

**Also, I made a banner for KOTS. You can view it here:**

******http://i207(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/bb151/joemomma1214/FF%20stories/KOTS21(dot)jpg**

**Chapter Twenty-Three: I Hope They Get to Me in Time**

**BPOV**

The black slowly faded to white walls and ugly carpet. I was running down a hallway. I watched as I turned the corner and ran into a fleshy wall. Edward.

_I can hear the sirens comin'  
Smell the gasoline and smoke.  
I'm pinned against this steering wheel  
Pretty sure my arm is broke.  
I can see the flames and my life  
Flashing right before my eyes.  
I hope they get to me in time._

I watched as Edward stitched my fingers. I watched Edward pick me up for our first date. I watched as we professed our love for each other. I watched as we made love for the first time.

_I could see the headlights swerve  
So I cut the wheel to the right.  
Last thing I saw was that bottle turned up  
As he crossed that center line.  
I see tiny hands, brown eyes  
Fallin' to sleep to that lullaby.  
And you slide over next to me  
As I turn out the lights._

I watched as Edward promised to love me forever, and to one day make me his wife. Then the darkness returned.

This time, the darkness didn't fade. There was simply a spotlight. I watched as Edward proposed to me. I watched as Edward and I said our vows. I watched as I told Edward that he was going to be a daddy. I watched as Edward held my hand as our baby boy cried out his first cry. More darkness.

_I can hear the sirens comin'  
Smell the gasoline and smoke.  
I'm pinned against this steering wheel  
Pretty sure my arm is broke.  
I can see the flames and my life  
Flashing right before my eyes.  
I hope they get to me in time._

I wanted to cry for fear that I wouldn't live to do those things with Edward. I wanted to be Edward's wife, Mrs. Bella Cullen. I wanted to be the mother of his children. I wanted to grow old with him, and watch our children grow up and give us grandchildren, and then great-grandchildren.

_Please Lord, I'm beggin' you  
Don't let me go like this.  
There's so much left that I want to do  
So much I don't want to miss._

I preferred the visions to the darkness. In the visions, I could at least pretend that Edward was with me. The darkness was suffocating. It surrounded me like a blanket. A giant, suffocating blanket of blackness descended upon me and I couldn't help but succumb to its quiet comfort.

It felt like I was moving, floating almost. Floating in a sea of darkness.

_I can see the flames and my life  
Flashing right before my eyes.  
I hope they get to me in time.  
Just get to me in time.  
Please get to me in, in time._

**EPOV**

I finished examining the patient and wrote some orders on the chart, as well as my doctor's notes and grabbed a new chart. I was just heading to the patient's room when the ambulance pulled into the ambulance bay with our car accident victim.

None of the other ER doctors were available, so I looked at the board to see which room the patient was going to go to. Medic 7 was assigned to take this patient to room 15. I grabbed a pair of gloves and went into room 15 to wait for the ambulance.

It was only a few moments before they rushed into the room. I felt my blood run cold at what I saw.

My Bella.

My beautiful Bella, covered in blood and unconscious.

"Bella?" I croaked out as one of the paramedics started giving the nurse report.

"This is Isabella Swan, 23 year-old female. She was hit by a drunk driver. Her truck rolled several times. She is unconscious, has a laceration on her left arm, and here are her latest vitals." He said as he handed the nurse a notepad.

"She's got an 18 gauge in her right hand, and normal saline running wide open." The paramedic finished. I couldn't move. I was frozen. Bella's face was pale white and she was almost completely motionless. The only movement was the slight rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.

"Dr. Cullen?" One of the nurses called. I looked down at her as my tears fell quickly, rolling down my cheeks and onto my scrubs.

"Bella." I croaked again. JoDell was at my side instantly.

"Dr. Cullen, we need to go outside." She said as she pulled me toward the door.

"No, please, let me stay with her." I begged. The nurse must have left the room because she then returned with another doctor.

"Dr. Cullen, what's going on?" Dr. Maggie Siobhan asked.

"That's my Bella." I cried. Dr. Siobhan gasped, and then hugged me tightly.

"I will take great care of her," She whispered into my ear. I could only nod in response as the tears continued to fall. I found a spot where I would be out of the way and held Bella's hand as they cut her clothes off.

Maggie examined Bella thoroughly before ordering labs, x-rays, and a CT (cat scan). Bella's blood pressure was still low, and her pulse was still high.

The lab tech came in and drew Bella's blood, and then they took Bella to x-ray. They wouldn't let me go with her.

"JoDell, I'm going out to the waiting room to call Bella's dad. Will you let me know if she comes back before I do?" I asked.

"Of course Edward," She said, hugging me. JoDell was like a second mother to me. She was always so caring.

I walked out to the waiting room and collapsed into a chair, trying to let out all of the tears before I called Bella's father. I cried for a few minutes before I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket.

I dialed the house phone and didn't get an answer. I couldn't leave a message about something like this, so I simply asked him to call me back on my cell phone. I made sure to leave my cell number. I also left the hospital number and told him he could reach me there as well.

After I disconnected I called information and got the number for the police station in Forks. They connected me.

"Forks Police Department, How may I help you?' A pleasant voice asked.

"Charlie Swan, please." I requested, my voice sounding gruff from crying.

"One moment, please." The woman replied and then I heard elevator music.

"Chief Swan?" He answered, and I choked down a sob before I replied.

"Charlie?" I questioned.

"Edward, what's wrong?" Charlie's voice was panicked.

"Bella's been in an accident. I'm not sure what's wrong yet, but she's unconscious and she has a cut on her arm. She was hit by a drunk driver." I took a breath before continuing. I couldn't seem to stop.

"Her blood pressure is low, and her pulse is high, and I think she's bleeding internally." I was crying now.

"I'm on my way." Was the gruff reply, and I knew he was crying with me. I didn't want to miss Bella, so I went back into the ER without calling the girls.

"Dr. Cullen, they took her to CT after her x-rays, so she should be back shortly." A nurse informed me. I sat down in a chair in the room and waited.

Maggie came in the room a few minutes later. "Edward, her x-rays looked good but we'll see what the radiologist says. I haven't seen her CT, and I just got her labs back. Her hemoglobin and hematocrit are low."

I cried as I realized my suspicions about internal bleeding were probably right.

"Let's see what the radiologist says." Maggie reminded me. I nodded and then hung my head, lost in thought.

I pictured Bella as she said yes to my proposal, dressed in white and walking down the aisle with Charlie, telling me that I was going to be a daddy, and giving birth to our little bundle of joy, wrapped tightly in a pink blanket. I couldn't do those things without her.

I couldn't lose her. She was my life, and I couldn't live without her.

I heard a cart coming down the hall and then they were wheeling Bella back into the room. I grabbed her hand immediately, and I could have sworn she squeezed my hand gently.

Maggie poked her head back into the room to tell the nurse to start a line so that we could give Bella blood. I knew that Bella and I both had O+ blood. JoDell ran down to the lab to pick up two units of blood. When she came back the nurse double-checked the blood with another nurse and then started the blood.

All this time, my Bella remained unmoving. Maggie came back into the room and confirmed my worst nightmare. Bella was bleeding internally. Her spleen had ruptured.

"Edward, we are rushing her to emergency surgery." Maggie informed me as they hooked her up to a portable monitor. The room became crowded with surgical staff.

"Bella." I whispered. "I love you. You have to come back to me. I can't live without you. Please come back to me so that I can make you my wife. Please Bella. Come back." I cried as they wheeled her to surgery. I slumped to the floor and sobbed when I could no longer see her.

"Come on Edward, let's go out to the waiting room." JoDell said as she kneeled next to me. I nodded as I stood and followed her out to the waiting room. She hugged me and went back into the ER. I cried for a few more minutes before I called Angela.

"Edward?" Angela asked in confusion when she answered.

"Angela," I paused, trying to keep myself audible. "Bella was in a car accident." I informed her.

"Oh god!" Angela cried. "Have you called anyone else?" She asked softly, but I could still hear her tears.

"No. Can you call them?" I begged.

"Of course. We'll all be there soon." She replied before hanging up. I called my parents next.

"Mom, I need you guys." I cried when she answered.

"Edward?" She questioned. "What's wrong?"

"Bella was in an accident. She's in surgery right now because her spleen ruptured. She was bleeding internally." I sobbed as I explained.

"Oh, Edward. We're on our way. We love you honey." She told me quickly then hung up.

I slumped down in my chair and cried some more.

"Edward? Where's Bella? Is she okay?" Charlie's panicked voice hollered from across the waiting room.

I stood quickly and ran over to him.

"She's in surgery. Her spleen ruptured and she is bleeding internally," I said as I hugged him tightly. Charlie cried as he listened. I told him that there was a different waiting room for surgery, but that I was waiting for the girls. He decided to wait with me, and as soon as they all arrived we went to the surgical waiting room.

Once there, I explain everything to them. We all cried as we talked about how wonderful Bella is, and how important she is to all of us.

"Renee and Phil are flying into Seattle in the early morning." Charlie informed me once it had quieted down. I nodded and informed him that my parents were also on their way just as they burst into the waiting room.

I could easily tell that both of them had been crying and I rushed over to them, hugging them tightly as I cried. Our small family hug instantly turned into a giant hug when we were joined by all of our friends. Charlie even joined in.

Our hug was broken up by the arrival of the surgeon.

"I'm looking for the family of Isabella Swan?" He asked.

"That's us." Charlie and I replied at the same time. The doctor looked between Charlie and me.

"I'm Charlie Swan, her father," Charlie explained, "and this is Dr. Edward Cullen, her… fiancé." He finished. I smiled at the thought of marrying Bella, and then sobered up to hear what the doctor had to say.

"Bella is resting quietly in her room right now. The anesthesia hasn't quite worn off yet. The rupture was repairable, so removal of her spleen wasn't necessary. She's going to be sore, and it will take about six months for her to be at 100% again." We nodded as we listened.

"We also stitched up the laceration on her arm, which needed about 24 stitches. You can go visit her one at a time. Her room is 929." He said before turning to walk away.

"Wait." I called. "How is her head?" I asked.

"I didn't look at the CT, but according to the radiology report there was no swelling or bleeding." He replied.

"Okay, thank you." I said, shaking his hand.

"I'll show everyone where her room is." I said motioning for everyone to follow me. We rode the elevator upstairs and I led everyone to the waiting room on the ninth floor. I motioned for Charlie to follow me.

I pointed out her room and told him that I would be in the waiting room when he was done.

"Edward?" Charlie called as I turned to walk away. I turned back around and looked at him questioningly.

"I know how badly you want to go see her." He began. "I appreciate you offering to let me go see her first, so how about you run in there, check her out and tell her whatever it is that you want to tell her, and then I'll go in?" He offered, and I nearly jumped up and down as I nodded.

"Well, go on Son." He said as he patted my back. I had to keep myself from running down the hall to her room.

I stopped at the doorway and took a deep breath before walking in the room.

She looked so peaceful lying in the bed, and her color was better than it had been in the ER. I noticed that they still had blood running.

I sat down on the edge of her bed and kissed her forehead softly. I picked up her hand and interlaced our fingers. I knew she liked it when I did that.

"My Bella. My beautiful Bella. I love you so much. You are almost back to me, Love. Keep fighting my Love. I'm right here with you." I kissed her forehead, then the back of her hand. I slowly stood up and gave her one last look before heading back out to give Charlie some time with his daughter.

**AN: Please don't drink and drive.**

**I'm interested to see if anyone calls me on the "easter egg" I hid in the chapter. Anyone?**


	24. Chapter 24:The Medication Is Wearing Off

**AN: Sorry for taking so long between updates! As you know, I have been busy with school. I promise I haven't forgotten you guys! Thank you to everyone for the reviews, faves, and alerts. I love them!!! : )**

**I own none of the characters, songs, words, etc. Basically, I own nothing. I wish I owned Edward, and maybe Emmett. We could have fun.**

**Chapter Twenty-Four: The Medication Is Wearing Off**

**EPOV**

As soon as I entered the waiting room and looked at all of our friends and family, I broke down. Mom's arms surrounded me instantly and I cried on her shoulder, just as I had as a small child.

"I can't live without her," I whispered through my tears.

"I know, sweetheart." She said as she wiped away my tears. "She's not going anywhere without you."

"I'm going to go donate blood. Does anyone want to come with?" I asked when I had finished crying. All of our friends and family immediately stood and followed me down to the lab. I had to pull some strings for us to be able to give blood after the lab had closed, but they were thankful to have so many people willing to donate, so they opened up for us.

We were all silent as our blood drained into the collection bags. I think we could have fed an entire family of vampires with all the blood we donated.

We returned to the waiting room once we were done and waited. After a while, I got up and went to Bella's room. I peeked in to see Charlie sitting on the edge of the bed, talking to Bella.

"You've got to come back to us honey. We love you so much. Edward is going crazy out there right now," he chuckled lightly before continuing.

"Bella, he can't live without you. He needs you. We both need you," he croaked out before bursting into tears. I decided to give him more time with Bella, so I went into the stairwell and ran up to the top floor. I sat down on one of the steps and did something that I hadn't done in a long time. I prayed.

I prayed for Bella. I prayed for our future. I prayed for our children. I sat there for a few more minutes before I felt a sense of calm wash over me. It was then that I knew everything would be okay.

I ran down the stairs as fast as I could, and ran right into Charlie as he was coming out of Bella's room.

"Whoa, Son," He said as he steadied himself. He smiled at me before he gestured for me to go into the room.

I peeked in to see Bella still sleeping peacefully. She didn't have blood running anymore, but they did have her on normal saline.

I sat down in the chair next to her bed, and gently grabbed her hand. I laid my head down on the bed next to her and held her hand against my cheek. I felt faint movement against my cheek before I heard the most beautiful voice in the world.

"_Chuck Norris_ can set ants on fire with a magnifying glass. At night." The voice whispered. I looked up to see Bella's beautiful face. Her eyes were open and I could see their brilliance even in the dim room. I smiled brightly as my tears fell.

"If you spell _Chuck Norris_ in Scrabble, you win. Forever." I replied through my tears. She smiled in response and I shot out of the chair and wrapped my arms around her small body.

"I was so scared Bella. I thought I lost you. I love you so much." I whispered against her head.

"I was scared too. I thought I would never see you again," she cried, "I love you Edward."

I held her tightly as we cried. I couldn't find the strength to let go of her. I didn't want to.

"I need to go let everyone know you're awake. I'll send your dad in." I told her after several minutes. She nodded as she wiped away her tears. She looked up at me, and then wiped my tears off my cheeks.

I gazed at her a moment before I pressed my lips to hers passionately. I put everything I had into that kiss. I had to show her what she meant to me.

Everything.

She was everything to me.

I slowly pulled away from her and looked into her eyes. I could see it. Our forever.

"I'm going to go get your dad." I told her before kissing her forehead lightly.

"Can I get you anything while I'm gone?" I asked her at the doorway. She shook her head slightly.

I must have been delirious from a lack of sleep because I thought I heard her whisper "Just forever," from my spot out in the hallway.

**BPOV**

I was so exhausted and sore. I felt Edward grab my hand, but I kept my eyes closed. Then I felt his cheek against my hand. It was warm and wet.

I opened my eyes to see him laying his head on the ugly green hospital comforter. He was holding my hand against his cheek. I wanted to wipe away the tears that were trailed down his face.

His eyes were closed tightly as tears slowly seeped out.

"_Chuck Norris_ can set ants on fire with a magnifying glass. At night." I tried to say. It came out as nothing more than a whisper.

Edward's eyes opened immediately and filled with tears when he saw me looking back at him.

We shared our love for each other, and a beautifully affectionate kiss before Edward left to go get my dad. When Edward asked me if he could get me anything while he was gone, I had to bite my lip to keep myself from blurting out what it was I wanted. I simply shook my head in response to his question.

I waited until he was safely out in the hall before I answered his question verbally.

"Just forever." I whispered to the empty room. It was several minutes before my dad came bursting into the room.

"Oh Bella, you had us so scared!" He cried as he hugged me tightly. "I love you Bella."

"I love you too Daddy." I whispered against his shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

**Alice POV**

Bella had been in the hospital for a few days and they were estimating that she would be able to go home tomorrow, but first she had to shower.

That's what I was for, to help Bella shower. It was something that I had done before since Bella is so clumsy, so I was a pro at it.

The nurse put a special water proof bandage on Bella's abdomen, covered her IV site with a glove, and taped around it.

I helped her into the bathroom and untied her gown. She didn't have much energy, so I washed her hair.

"I feel about as useful as a chocolate teapot." Bella grumbled as I massaged the shampoo into her hair. I laughed and continued washing her hair.

Bella was able to finish the shower by herself, so I stood outside the shower stall just in case she got lightheaded or needed help.

When she was finished, I helped her into a pair of pajamas that I had bought especially for Bella's hospital trips. It was similar to a hospital gown in that it had snaps up and down the arms; it just offered more coverage as well as being much more stylish! It was sickening how ugly the gowns they provided were. It was no wonder people in the hospital were sick!

Her shower pretty much wiped her out, so I helped her into her bed, which had clean linens thanks to the CNA, and covered her up with the blankets.

She was asleep nearly instantly, so I turned out the lights and shut the door. I walked down to the waiting room and could see Edward and Charlie deep in conversation. I didn't mean to listen, it just happened.

Besides, I knew it was coming before I eavesdropped.

"Charlie, I need to talk to you about something," Edward began. Even though I couldn't see him, I knew he was running his hand through his hair. I silently snickered to myself as I thought about what Bella said about his habit.

"_I don't blame him for running his hands through his hair," she said when we commented on his crazy hair._

"_It feels great to have it between your fingers," she admitted as she blushed a deep red._

"What is it son?" Charlie asked.

"Well, I know you sort-of already gave me, uh, permission," he stuttered nervously, and I nearly had to bite my hand to keep from laughing at his nervousness. I knew he had no reason to be nervous.

Charlie must have nodded for Edward to continue because I never heard him speak, and then Edward continued.

"Sir, I want to formally ask your permission. I would like your blessing to ask Bella to marry me. Feeling like I was going to lose her before we even started our life together was devastating. I'm not going to waste anymore time. Making Bella my wife and loving her is what I was made for. I want to be a good husband to her, and a good father to our children." Edward paused, and by the sound of his voice, I was guessing that he was overcome with emotion. He had brought tears to my eyes.

"Bella is the only one I can do those things with. She is a part of my soul. The very best part." He whispered.

It was quiet for several minutes and my curiosity was practically seeping from my pores. It took everything in me to keep from poking my head around the corner so that I could see what was going on in the room.

I heard what sounded like a slap and couldn't restrain myself any longer. I whipped my head around the corner and was shocked by what I saw.

Edward and Charlie were hugging. The slapping noise was Charlie patting Edward on the back. Charlie saw me and winked as he let go of Edward, and I could a tear stain down one of his cheeks.

"You have my blessing, son. Just don't forget what I told you that day at the diner." Charlie said to Edward before he openly acknowledged me.

"You can't tell Bella about this Alice!" Charlie admonished.

"I would never!" I exclaimed as both men laughed loudly at me. I decided to ignore the fact that they were laughing at me. I informed them that Bella had showered and was sleeping. They both nodded as they sat down to continue watching whatever sports game was on.

**AN: I know it wasn't very long, but it's better than nothing, right?**


	25. Chapter 25: Home Sweet Home

**AN: Thank you guys for all of the support and reviews, it makes writing this story so much more fun! : ) A special thank you to my beta for her awesome beta skills! You are the best T!**

**I own nothing but the gross candy hearts I bought at Wally-World. At least I can look at Edward on the box…**

**I hope you guys like the chapter!**

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Home Sweet Home**

**BPOV**

I was released from the hospital after nearly a week. I think that Edward had something to do with my being sent home early. I still had staples from the surgery, but Edward assured me that he could take them out easily, quickly, and almost painlessly. I didn't really like his use of the word 'almost.'

I knew he would be gentle as I thought back to him removing those fateful stitches from my fingers. He had been so careful with me, like he was handling a precious heirloom that might break if you simply looked at it wrong.

I had never felt as cherished as I had in that moment. Well, I'd felt more cherished since then. I blushed as I thought about the different ways Edward had cherished me.

Edward was staying at our house, or TGP (The Girls Place), as we had taken to calling it. Emmett had taken it upon himself to name the guys place. It was called TPP, and Emmett wouldn't acknowledge us unless we referred it as such.

What does TPP stand for you ask? The Penis Palace. We tried to talk him into changing it. He agreed to change the name to The Pecker Place, The Cock Castle, The Schlong Sanctuary, or The Dick District. There was no winning with Emmett, so we gave in.

Alice, Rose, and Angela had been helping me out around the house when Edward was at work. I was able to shower now by myself. I had a lot more energy, but sometimes I had difficulty getting dressed and undressed.

I wasn't embarrassed about being naked in front of any of the girls. They had all helped me at one time or another due to my clumsy ways, so they weren't seeing anything new.

And I wasn't nervous around Edward because he had seen everything already, and evidently he liked what he saw… a lot.

I was currently home by myself. Rose had gotten called into work, and Emmett was on his way over to Bella-sit. It was more than embarrassing that they thought I needed a babysitter. At least I knew that Emmett would be entertaining.

I sat quietly on the couch, reading and waiting for Em to show up. Edward had bought me a slew of new books to read while I was in the hospital, and I was nearly finished with them all. I finished the last page of the book just as Emmett surged through the door.

I smiled up at him from my spot on the couch and he plopped down next to me.

"So whatcha wanna do BlueBell?" He asked as he looked at the book I had just finished.

"Movies?" I suggested.

"I like the way you think!" He exclaimed as he jumped up from the couch. He walked over to the entertainment center and began looking over our movie selection.

"Okay, here's my pick!" He hollered as he held out _Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs._ I smiled because it was one of my favorites.

"Let's watch it first and then I'll pick out a movie." I said as I turned on the surround sound. Emmett put the movie into the player, then came and sat down next to me. I moved trying to get comfortable, and grimaced in pain. I tried covering it up, but Emmett noticed. Damn.

"I'll go get your pain meds." Emmett said, standing up from the couch. I waited for him to return, and then pressed play. I took my meds and got as comfortable as I could.

By the time the characters got stuck in the elevator-like thing and started laughing, I was feeling the meds. I began imitating the laughing gas laugh. Emmett immediately joined in.

Seeing a huge bear of a man cackling like a hyena caused me to laugh even harder, which only made him chortle even more in the high pitched laugh that sounded like it was helium induced.

At least I had the pain meds as an excuse. What excuse did Emmett have? Absolutely none, unless you considered Emmett himself as an excuse.

We sobered up after a few minutes, and tried to catch our breath. It didn't take long for us to return to the hysterics. Buck was a heck of a character. Emmett turned to me and quoted one of the best lines in the entire movie.

"_Rule number three: He who has gas, travels at the back of the pack_." He said, laughing uncontrollably. It immediately brought to mind a time I had been at a Chinese restaurant with my dad. My grandpa was visiting, so he was with us.

FLASHBACK

_We had just picked our fortune cookies. I ate mine immediately, not caring about the fortune. Grandpa opened his cookies then looked at me._

"_Man who goes to bed with itchy butt, wakes up with stinky finger." He said, predicting his fortune. We all laughed as he opened up his small paper. _

"_You have a way with words." He read with a straight face._

"_It does not say that!" I exclaimed. There was no way it could say that, I thought as I pulled it out of his hands. I looked at the paper closely, and was instantly laughing so hard that I had tears coming from my eyes._

END FLASHBACK

His fortune couldn't have been more fitting. He was always popping up with witty comments that made me laugh. Man I missed him.

I continued laughing until it was interrupted by a yawn. I was really feeling the effects of the medication now.

"Hey Em," I mumbled. "You're like the big brother I never had." I finished before drifting off to sleep.

My dreams were crazy after having finished the most recent _Stephanie Plum_ novel. It was kind of funny because I pictured myself as Stephanie, and Edward instantly took over the persona of _Morelli_. Yummy CopWard…

And then _Ranger_ showed up. He too, looked like Edward. Mmmmm RangeWard. Now I wanted a ménage tios with both of them.

I was suddenly aware of snickering somewhere in the distance, and it began getting louder when it was joined with snorting.

Wait. I recognize that snort. That is trademark Alice. I opened my eyes to see Alice and Rose standing in front of me trying, and failing, to hold in their laughter.

I looked around trying to see what they were laughing at, and realized that the side of my face was wet. I'm not talking damp; I'm talking soaked, like super-soaker soaked.

To make matters worse, my head was resting on Emmett. Well, Emmett's foot to be exact. I had drooled all over Emmett's foot. His sock was absolutely saturated.

Emmett was snoring loudly and didn't seem to notice that his foot was drenched, or that Alice and Rose were now full out laughing.

I quickly wiped my face with the sleeve of my sweatshirt and stood from the couch. Rose and Alice continued laughing as I shuffled out of the living room, my face feeling the familiar burn of embarrassment.

I slowly walked up the stairs and climbed in my bed. It didn't take long for me to drift back to dreamland where I visited with CopWard and RangeWard some more.

**AN: I love **_**Stephanie Plum **_**books. Grandma Mazur is the shit, as is Lula! : ) And of course I want me some CopWard and RangeWard! **

**Oh, and the fortune cookie scene is true, only it was my father-in-law that said it, and he is still entertaining us with his "way with words." : ) **


	26. Chapter 26: Travel

**AN: One of my readers was sad that Edward wasn't in the last chapter. (Who could blame her, that's everyone's favorite part, right?) So, this chapter is ALL Edward!**

**As always, I own nothing and I can't even come up with something funny to put here. Sadness.**

**My beta, T, is the most awesome beta in the world, so be jealous, very jealous…**

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Travel**

**EPOV**

It had been just over a month since Bella's release from the hospital, and she was pretty much back to normal.

I had been extremely busy at work, but that didn't come close to how busy I had been planning for the coming week. Bella knew we were going somewhere, but she didn't know where we were going or what we were doing.

I was taking her to Mt. Rainier. I had rented a cabin for us to stay at over the weekend. Our friends would be joining us on Tuesday, and we would all stay there until the next Sunday.

My mother and the girls had all been wonderful in helping me plan our getaway, though only my mother knew of everything that was planned.

I loaded my bags into the trunk of the Volvo and drove over to Bella's. Alice opened the door before I could even turn off the car. She was jumping up and down excitedly.

"Alice!" I hissed, "You haven't squealed, have you?"

"You know I wouldn't spoil your surprise Eddie," Alice teased. I scowled at the name, and mussed her hair. I smiled brightly when she scowled in return.

"Since she doesn't know about the extra time up there, I packed her some extra stuff," Rose whispered as she handed me several bags.

"I'm going to run these out to the car so Bella doesn't see them," I said, heading toward the front door. I rearranged the things in the trunk so that Bella's extra bags were hidden and left the trunk open.

Bella was downstairs with her bags when I got back in the house, so we said our goodbyes and climbed in the car.

Bella plugged in her iPod and got settled in for the drive. We stopped for a quick bite before leaving Seattle and ate on the drive.

I'd paid extra money to have the place stocked with food, so we thankfully didn't have to stop at a grocery store.

Thankfully, I knew what Bella liked so I knew what she would want to have, and our friends said that they would stop at the store on their way up for groceries and anything else that was needed.

We talked for nearly the entire three-hour drive. Bella was so excited to see her book published and had several ideas for new books. I'd had the girls pack Bella's laptop just in case she felt the need to write.

"Mt. Rainier?" Bella questioned, excitedly as we neared our destination. I nodded in response, and couldn't help the excitement that bubbled inside me when she smiled happily.

I stopped at the check-in building at the bottom of the mountain, checked us in, and confirmed that they were aware we would have six more people joining us on Monday.

With that completed, Bella and I headed up to our cabin.

When we pulled up, I immediately noticed that the pictures hadn't done justice for the place. It was spectacular.

Bella was nearly crawling out of her skin in excitement. I silently chuckled. For someone who hates to be surprised, she sure does like her surprises.

I handed Bella the keys to the cabin and grabbed the bags that we needed to have inside, leaving behind Bella's extra bags.

I followed Bella through the door and set the bags down in the entryway so we could explore.

We wandered through the entire cabin and then headed back downstairs. I took our bags up to our room as Bella relaxed on the couch. I was thankful that she realized I was going to do manly stuff, like carrying her bags whether she liked it or not. I was just happy she had given up arguing with me about it.

I settled next to her on the couch and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. She sighed happily and snuggled into me.

I dipped my head down and breathed in aroma de la Bella. As soon as her scent hit my nostrils a warm and peaceful feeling flooded my body.

I was right where I was supposed to be, my arms around the love of my life, Bella.

I was a mixture of nerves and excitement about what would be happening tomorrow. Tomorrow was the day that would make or break the rest of my life.

**AN: I know, it's not very long, but it's better than nada. So what's happening tomorrow? Here's the link for the cabin, and we are going to pretend that it can sleep 8 instead of just 6! : )**

http://www(dot)jasmers(dot)com/trillium2(dot)htm


	27. Chapter 27: If You Like That

**AN: I don't own Twilight or anything else quoted in this story. I do have a fuck awesome beta though… : ) Thanks T, you know how awesome you are!**

**I also have a husband that nearly got beaten down tonight. He called me in to the computer room asking if I wanted to watch an Eclipse preview. I don't think I'd ever run so fast in my life. Yeah, the marshmallow had pulled up a picture of the Eclipse cover. There was no preview. Sadness...**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: If You Like That**

**BPOV**

When I woke in the morning, I was surprised to recall that I had dreamt of my beautiful bronze-haired, green-eyed children, as I had not dreamt of them for months. They were just as perfect as always, and we were all playing on the beach of what seemed to be a deserted island.

Of course, Edward was there, with our beautiful little girl on his shoulders, squealing at her daddy as he ran around in the sand and water. The precious little boy was chasing after them, laughing delightedly.

I looked over at Edward. His face was nuzzled into his pillow and a small smile was etched on his stunning face. I had to clench my fist tightly to keep myself from waking him by touching his face. I loved to feel his morning stubble against my skin.

Thinking about that brought back memories of his stubble against my thighs last night. I bit back a moan at the thoughts swarming my head, and turned away from Edward. I knew if I was going to let him sleep, I couldn't continue to look at him in all his glory.

I gasped as a warm arm wrapped around me. Edward pulled me against his chest and took a deep breath, his nose in my hair. The sigh that followed was one of happiness and contentment, and I understood the feelings completely.

"Morning," he mumbled into my head. I giggled and rolled over to face him.

"It is a good morning," I agreed, before placing a soft kiss on the end of his nose. Edward still had his eyes closed, so I took a few moments to examine his face again. I certainly hoped our children got his amazing looks.

Edward's eyes slowly opened and he smiled brightly when he saw that I was looking at him.

"See something you like?" He teased.

"Very much so," I replied huskily.

After showing him how much I liked the view, we climbed into the shower where we relished in each other some more.

"I'll go work on breakfast," Edward informed me after he was dressed. I nodded as I continued to finish my morning routine. Edward kissed me gently before heading downstairs.

It took a moment to recover from the kiss induced haze so that I could blow dry my hair.

When I got downstairs, Edward was on the phone.

"Gotta go," he told the person on the other end before hanging up abruptly. Weirdness.

He kissed me briefly before motioning to the food set out on the table. It was my favorite breakfast: waffles with peanut butter and syrup, scrambled eggs, and orange juice.

I sat down quickly and dug into my plate. He had made them perfectly. As I was eating, I noticed a small box sitting on the table next to Edward. It was a plain white box, but what drew my attention to it was what was scrawled across the top of it, in Edward's elegant writing. Bella.

As I chewed the bite in my mouth, I contemplated whether or not I wanted to say anything about the box, or just let the giant elephant in the room continue to sit on the table until we finished eating.

I swallowed the food in my mouth and decided to go with the latter, so I purposely avoided looking at the box. While the box wasn't in my sight, it was in my thoughts.

I wasn't sure if the size of the box was comforting or not. I was happy that the box wasn't huge, but some of the smaller things were much more expensive. And why was he buying me anything anyways?

I didn't like gifts when it was my birthday, or for holidays, so why would I like one for no reason at all?

_Freak-out, party of one._

_Slow down the breakdown train,_ I mentally lectured myself. So I pushed the box out of my thoughts. The box was about the size of… ENOUGH!

Clearing my head again, I noticed that Edward wasn't eating. He was chewing his nails, nervously. More weirdness.

I finished my wonderful breakfast and chugged down what was left of my juice. Edward shot out of his chair as soon as I placed the empty glass on the table. He grabbed the item that I had been obsessing over with one hand and grabbed my hand with his other.

He tucked the item under his arm and pulled me away from the table. He stopped momentarily in the living room to grab a thick blanket and then led me outside, onto the deck. He wrapped the blanket around us and we sat down in the swing.

"I made you something," Edward said anxiously as the box popped up from under the blanket.

He handed me the box, and ran his hand through his hair before it disappeared into the warmth under the blanket.

I slowly lifted the lid and instantly smiled when I saw the contents, it was a book. I was slightly confused though; I hadn't heard of anything new coming out and I already had all my favorites.

Little did I know, this book would become my favorite.

I gently removed the book from the box and examined it. The title of the book was "_Keeper of the Stars._"

I definitely hadn't heard of this book before. I opened the front cover and noticed song lyrics gracing the very first page.

_Keeper of the Stars by Tracy Byrd_

_It was no accident me finding you  
Someone had a hand in it  
Long before we ever knew  
Now I just can't believe you're in my life  
Heaven's smilin' down on me  
As I look at you tonight_

I tip my hat to the keeper of the stars  
He sure knew what he was doin'  
When he joined these two hearts  
I hold everything  
When I hold you in my arms  
I've got all I'll ever need  
Thanks to the keeper of the stars

Soft moonlight on your face oh how you shine  
It takes my breath away  
Just to look into your eyes  
I know I don't deserve a treasure like you  
There really are no words  
To show my gratitude

So I tip my hat to the keeper of the stars  
He sure knew what he was doin'  
When he joined these two hearts  
I hold everything  
When I hold you in my arms  
I've got all I'll ever need  
Thanks to the keeper of the stars

It was no accident me finding you  
Someone had a hand in it  
Long before we ever knew

I couldn't help but agree with the lyrics, and tears gathered in my eyes as I read them.

The next page was handwritten and I smiled at the note that Edward had written:

_To Bella, the love of my life, you are the most important part of me. You are my heart._

_Before you, Bella, my life was like a moonless night.  
Very dark, but there were stars -- points of light and reason.  
...And then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything was on fire; there was brilliancy, there was beauty.  
When you were gone, when the meteor had fallen over the horizon, everything went black.  
Nothing had changed, but my eyes were blinded by the light.  
I couldn't see the stars anymore.  
And there was no more reason for anything._

I wiped away the single tear that had fallen, and leaned over to kiss Edward's cheek. The next page was blank, so I passed it quickly.

My confusion increased when I began reading the next page.

_I never would have guessed that I would have found my one true love while on a job search down in Florida. But I did. I met her in a hospital. Well, we really ran into each other, literally._

_I comforted her for a few hours, and then she was gone._

_While she may have been gone physically, she was still in my thoughts, and in my dreams._

_I knew I had to see her again, but I didn't know how to find her._

I looked up at Edward in confusion. He smiled and told me to continue, then kissed my forehead lightly.

_Our second meeting was also in a hospital, though this one was located in Seattle. She had cut her fingers and passed out after seeing the blood._

_As soon as I saw her I knew she was the one that had plagued my thoughts and dreams. I lost my breath when I saw her. She was beautiful, even when she was unconscious and bleeding._

_She agreed to go on a date with me, and then I sutured her hand. The medication that she was given made her a little coo coo ca choo, and we were soon in a Chuck Norris-ism war. She won, telling me about how Chuck Norris could slam a revolving door._

_She was pretty out of it when she was discharged, so I left my number with her friends and hoped that she would call me._

I realized that it was a book about us. I continued to read through the book, laughing at the funny parts, crying at the sad and romantic parts. It was amazing to see how Edward had felt in these situations.

There were several chapters that took my breath away.

I couldn't believe how much emotion Edward put into the chapter about our stay at the cabin, where we'd made love for the first time. I felt everything Edward had felt, on top of my own emotions from that night.

I finally discovered what was talked about during the secret brunch chat between my dad and Edward, and I couldn't have been more surprised.

I had noticed, as I was reading, that every so often there would be a page of music notes, no words, just sheet music.

I wanted to ask Edward about it, but I wanted to finish reading more, so I did. I stopped when I got to a page that had Edward's writing on it. It said:

_Love, walk to the edge of the deck please._

I looked over at Edward, and he nodded. I slowly stood and made my way to the edge of the deck.

"Okay, now what?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"Turn the page," Edward whispered from behind me.

The next page was also handwritten by Edward:

_Look down, Love._

I looked down into the snow on the ground and nearly dropped the book. Written in the snow, in Edward's writing:

_Marry me?_

I turned around to look at Edward as tears streaked down my cheeks. I found him down on one knee, holding out a ring box.

"Isabella Marie Swan? I promise to love you forever — every single day of forever. Will you marry me?"

**AN: Cliffie! I'm going to go hide. No, I'm not going to be hiding out in my nice warm bed, away from this fog and snow… so don't look there!**


	28. Chapter 28: She Said?

**AN: Nothing has changed, I still don't own anything, nor will I ever.**

**Rob is to actors, as trs1 is to betas. Love ya T!**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: She Said Yes**

**EPOV**

I watched as Bella read through our story, and marveled at each emotion as it graced her beautiful face.

I hoped that she would appreciate the book and wouldn't think that this was too soon. I couldn't wait any longer.

"Okay, now what?" She asked after walking to the edge of the deck. I told her to turn the page.

I watched, in slow motion it seemed, as her gazed dropped down to the snow in front of her, where I had written the most important question of my life.

Her gasp was audible as she read what I wrote. I dropped to one knee and pulled my Grandmother's ring box out of my pocket. I opened the box just as Bella turned to look at me.

"Isabella Marie Swan? I promise to love you forever — every single day of forever. Will you marry me?" I asked with bated breath as tears rolled down her reddened cheeks.

The quiet before her response only lasted a few moments, but it seemed like much longer.

Then, she made my dreams come true.

"Yes," she choked out around her tears. Even though her hand was covering her mouth, I could see that a wide smile graced her gorgeous face.

I gingerly slid the ring onto Bella's ring finger, trying desperately not to drop the ring. We were both trembling from the mixture of the cold temperatures and the excitement of what had just transpired.

Once the ring was in place, Bella launched herself at me, hugging me tightly as she peppered me with kisses.

"I love you, Edward," she said, looking into my eyes after she was finished with her kiss attack.

"I love you too, Bella," I replied honestly before bringing my lips to hers in a fiery kiss.

Before I knew what was happening, we were in bed with our clothing disappearing. Okay, so I knew exactly what happened, I picked Bella up, threw her over my shoulder, and ran upstairs.

I nearly threw her on the bed in all of my excitement, but reined myself in. As soon as she was on the bed, my hands were all over her, touching any skin that was showing, and revealing more skin with each item of clothing I removed from her breathtaking body.

When Bella was completely exposed to me, I could smell her arousal, making mine more prominent, almost to the point of being painful.

I wanted to love Bella every way I could. Using my fingers, my tongue, and my… well, you know.

I was still dressed, but Bella quickly remedied that by ripping my clothes from my body. There was nothing sweet or sensual about it. It was pure need. She needed me just as much as I needed her.

She quickly rolled us over so that I was on my back, and she was on top of me. Then I was inside her. I was in heaven.

She was so warm around me, and we fit together perfectly. She was still for a few moments, and I relished the feeling of wholeness that encompassed me.

Then she began writhing on top of me, causing me to moan loudly. She smiled brightly before capturing my lips in a searing kiss, still moving up and down on me.

I gripped Bella's hips and thrust my hips up to meet hers, causing her to moan even louder than I had.

"Oh, Bella," I breathed. I sat up, wrapping her legs around my waist, and pulled her into me roughly.

"Ugh," Bella mumbled into my shoulder, kissing and nipping the skin there. Her movements became frantic as we moved together in unison.

"Edward!" She cried out as she pulsed around me. I followed her into oblivion, her name falling from my lips.

We stayed in bed for the rest of the day, only removing ourselves so that we could shower, or eat, or christen other areas of the cabin in celebration of our engagement.

The next morning, Bella called her parents as I called mine, informing them of our wonderful news. I stopped her before she could call the girls, as they would be arriving the next day.

I wasn't sure if it would be better to tell her they were coming, or to surprise her. I decided to go with the surprise, since she liked her last one so much.

We were eating lunch when Bella finally questioned me about the music lyrics that had been in her book.

"Edward?" She began.

"Yes, Love?" I asked, smiling brightly at the love of my life. She held the book up, and blushed lightly. She opened it and sat next to me at the table.

"What is this?" She asked, pointing to the first stanza.

"That, my dear Bella, is your song," I informed her, getting up from my chair.

"So it's called Bella?" She asked, confusion evident in her voice, and on her face.

"No," I said, laughing silently, "It's called _Bella's Lullaby_." Her eyebrows scrunched together even more as she looked at me, silently asking for an explanation.

I pulled the burned CD out of my bag and sat down next to Bella again. She looked at the CD briefly, then back at me, still confused.

"You know that I play the piano, right?" I asked her, already knowing the answer. She nodded in affirmation, so I continued.

"I don't just play piano. I also write music." She looked down at the notes on the page for a few minutes before her widened eyes met mine.

"You… you wrote this?" She stammered.

"Yes Bella, I wrote it. For you," I said, handing her the CD.

"Is this it?" She questioned, lifting the CD. I nodded and she shot up from her chair and rushed over to the CD player that was in the living room of the cabin. I stood and followed her into the other room, but didn't sit down.

I nervously ran my hand through my hair as I watched Bella put the CD in and press play.

She was completely silent and motionless as the track played. The song finished and still, Bella didn't utter a word. Minutes of silence passed.

Just as I was about to apologize to Bella, she finally turned around to face me. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but the smile that was on her face could have rivaled the radiance of a beacon of light shining from a lighthouse.

She ran to me and I thankfully caught her in my arms. We both toppled onto the couch. Bella hugged me tightly as she cried.

"That was beautiful, Edward," she cried into my chest. I rubbed her back soothingly and kissed her forehead.

"You are beautiful, so how could something about you not be beautiful?" I questioned her.

She kissed me again, and the fire grew quickly, begging to be extinguished. We soon found ourselves back in bed, showing each other our love.

**AN: You all know where to find **_**Bella's Lullaby.**_** And if not, well, there are no words…**


	29. Chapter 29: FUN Song

**AN: I don't own Twilight or its characters, unfortunately.**

**The last chapter must have been an epic fail going by the reviews. Sadness.**

**My beta, trs1, is the awesomest, most kick-ass beta in the history of betas!**

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: F.U.N. Song**

**EPOV**

When we woke in the morning, I was excited for our friends to arrive. Jake and Leah had plans so they wouldn't be joining us.

Bella stirred next to me so I leaned in to press a gentle kiss on her forehead, breathing in her scent as my lips made contact with her skin.

"Mmmmm," she hummed as she stretched. Her eyes opened and she smiled brightly at me.

"Good morning, Love," I whispered, kissing her cheek this time. She nodded her response, and I took that to mean that she agreed that the morning was good. It was going to get so much better, and she didn't even know it.

"C'mon sleepyhead," I teased, "Let's get some breakfast." I pulled my pajama pants on and handed my t-shirt to Bella.

I watched the sheet fall from her glorious chest as she pulled the shirt over her head. She moved to the edge of the bed and leaned over, picking up her discarded underwear. I smiled brightly as I read the top of the name 'Cullen' on her back.

I liked to see my name across her back. Cullen, the name that would soon be hers. Isabella Cullen. I liked that… a lot.

"What's going on up there?" Bella asked, tapping the side of my head gently.

"Just thinking about how much I like my name on your back," I replied honestly as I turned her back towards the mirror.

"Look," I instructed her to look at her back. A beautiful smile graced her face as she registered what I was saying.

"I like your name on my back too," she told me before kissing me softly.

We headed downstairs, hand-in-hand. I set Bella down and started on some pancakes and bacon. Bella loves breakfast, and pancakes are her favorite.

I prepared Bella's plate and set it on the table in front of her, along with a glass of orange juice and a mug of coffee, just the way she likes it… a little bit of cream, and three spoons of sugar.

"Enjoy, Love," I pressed a kiss to her forehead before grabbing my plate and joining her at the table.

We finished our breakfast in silence, not needing any words. Though we were constantly touching each other, holding hands, playing footsy, a hand on a thigh, we had to be connected.

Bella and I washed the breakfast dishes together, she washed and I dried. I loved doing such domestic things with her by my side, and I wanted to do it every day. I gulped in a deep breath before I spoke.

"Bella," I paused, taking another deep, brazening breath, "What do you think about going house shopping with me?"

She turned off the water and gently placed the dish she had been washing in the sink.

"I think it's a great idea, Edward. Have you been thinking about this?" She asked, and her eyes shone brightly, reflecting her happiness.

"You want to stay in Seattle, right?" She asked quickly, her brow furrowed.

"Of course," I replied, gently smoothing out her forehead with my thumb.

"I know you want to stay close to your dad, and I would like to stay close to my parents as well," I told her. "I know they would like us to stay close."

She nodded happily and resumed cleaning the dish she had been working on.

We had just finished the dishes when the doorbell rang.

"I wonder who that could be?" I mused, even though I knew exactly who is was.

Bella walked to the door excitedly, with me right behind her.

"OHMYGOD!" She screamed when she saw the visitors on the porch.

"What are you guys doing here?" She asked.

"A certain someone invited us to join you," Rose informed Bella, winking at me dramatically.

"You invited them?" Bella asked me, hugging me tightly. I could merely nod against her shoulder, as she squeezed all of the air out of my lungs.

"Thank you," she said, looking up at me. Tears gathered in her eyes, and prepared to plunge down her beautiful face.

"You're wel-" My reply was cut off by a feminine squeal.

Bella was ripped from my arms as Alice, Rose, and Angela interrogated her about the new piece of jewelry adorning a certain, meaningful finger.

I caught Bella's eyes and she smiled widely then mouthed 'I love you.'

I returned her affections before showing the guys where the other rooms were located. I let them decide how to divide up the rooms, and helped them carry in their luggage and the groceries they had bought.

Once the luggage was put into the rooms, we all gathered in the living room. I pulled Bella down onto my lap, and she snuggled into me.

"So what's with all the damn screeching?" Emmett, being the unreserved person he is, blurted out.

Bella giggled quietly into my neck as I responded.

"Well, Em, I have decided to quit my job as an ER doctor, and become a clown with a traveling circus. Bella has agreed to be my clown wife, and we are going to move into a clown house, and have little clown babies."

Emmett frowned at me as everyone else laughed.

"Haha," Emmett said sarcastically, causing everyone to laugh harder.

"WAIT!" He hollered, causing silence to befall the room.

"You weren't joking about the wife thing were you?" He asked, pointing to Bella's left hand, held tightly inside mine.

"Nope," I replied, kissing Bella's cheek. The room erupted in hollers of congratulations, and squeals of delight.

"We've also decided to start looking for a house," Bella added once the room had quieted down, renewing the chaos.

Bella smiled brightly at me as we listened to our friend's happy voices all around us. I knew I would do anything to keep that happy smile on her face.

Bella got off my lap after a while to go get her book and show it off to the girls, while I grabbed some beers for us guys and we turned on some sports.

Every so often, we could hear excited noises from the room the girls were in, and they all had red-rimmed eyes when they finally joined us.

I got a hug from all of the girls before Bella curled up next to me. We finished the game while enjoying the company of our friends.

After dinner was when it really got interesting.

Emmett disappeared for a while, and came back into the cabin with his arms full. He was carrying enough alcohol to supply an AA meeting, and then some!

We tried to talk him out of drinking, but he replied that it wasn't every day that his brother gets engaged to the perfect woman for him, so a celebration was needed.

We agreed after that.

He had supplied us with a little of everything, and after an hour and a half, we were all well on our way to being three sheets to the wind, drunk as a skunk.

Then Emmett decided we needed to play Truth or Dare. We drunk skunks thought the idea was fantastic.

Emmett went first.

"I pick Bella!" He squealed, in a not so male like voice.

"Dare," she countered.

"I dare you to hop up and down," he cackled, rolling around on the floor in his fit of giggles.

Bella easily accepted her dare, and hopped up and down. Miraculously, she managed to keep from falling over, and completed her dare, causing Emmett's laughing to escalate to the point that he was turning red.

She sat down, and we all looked at each other, trying to figure out what was so hilarious.

After he finally calmed down, he took a deep, calming breath.

"Now," he had to pause to tamper down more girly giggles, "I can call you BellHop!" He exclaimed, resuming his laughing jag.

Only Emmett.

Our game continued for hours, and I was amazed that, even drunk, we could still come up with truths and dares.

I particularly enjoyed the part of the game where I discovered that the girls had a nickname for me, Dr. Moto Moto. They were drunk enough that they even told me the meaning behind it.

Hot hot. So nice, you say it twice.

Emmett didn't like that he hadn't earned the nickname, but he soon forgot what he was upset about, and continued happily playing our game.

Our supply of liquor was soon depleted and we all sloppily made our way to bed.

**AN: Just a little bit of fun after all the serious sweetness.**

**I hope you guys liked this chapter, and I'm so very sorry for the delay in updating. Unfortunately spring break wasn't very break-ish for me… : (**


	30. Chapter 30: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

**AN: I do not own Twilight **

**The UPS man finally brought me my copy of NM! Hubby laughed at me because I ordered it on PPV while waiting for my copy to be delivered. What can I say, I like me some NM!**

**My beta is awesome! Love you T! Thank you for your vampire editing speed!**

**Chapter Thirty: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun**

**BPOV**

I woke up, entirely too early, to Emmett singing at the top of his lungs… badly. It only took a moment for me to recognize the song.

_I come home in the morning light,  
My mother says "When you gonna live your life right?"  
Oh, mother, dear,  
We're not the fortunate ones,  
And girls,  
They wanna have fu-un.  
Oh, girls,  
Just wanna have fun._

The phone rings in the middle of the night,  
My father yells "What you gonna do with your life?"  
Oh, daddy, dear,  
You know you're still number one,  
But girls,  
They wanna have fu-un,  
Oh, girls, just wanna have  
That's all they really want.....  
Some fun....

When the working day is done,  
Oh, girls,  
They wanna have fu-un,  
Oh, girls,  
Just wanna have fun....

Girls,  
They want,  
Wanna have fun.  
Girls,  
Wanna have

I quietly slid out of bed, trying not to wake Edward. I had no idea how he could sleep through Emmett's painful wailing.

I tip-toed downstairs and found Emmett in the kitchen, wearing a frilly pink apron. I bit my lip to keep from laughing and alerting him to my presence.

He continued singing, unaware of the fact that I was right behind him. I wondered for a moment if he was still intoxicated, but after watching his fluid and controlled dance moves, I knew he was sober. His dance moves were weird, but good nonetheless.

_Some boys take a beautiful girl,  
And hide her away from the rest of the world.  
I wanna be the one to walk in the sun.  
Oh, girls,  
They wanna have fu-un.  
Oh, girls,  
Just wanna have  
That's all they really want.....  
Some fun...._

Emmett jumped as I began singing from behind him. He spun around and smiled brightly at me before joining in.

_When the working day is done,  
Oh, girls,  
They wanna have fu-un.  
Oh, girls,  
Just wanna have fun..._

Girls,  
They want,  
Wanna have fun.  
Girls,  
Wanna have.

They just wanna,  
They just wanna.....  
They just wanna,  
(Oh....)  
They just wanna.....  
(Girls just wanna have fun...)  
Oh...

Girls just wanna have fu-un...  
They just wanna,  
They just wanna....  
They just wanna,  
They just wanna....  
(Oh...)  
They just wanna...  
(They just wanna have fun...)  
Girls just wanna have fu-un...

As hard as we tried to finish the song, we were both in hysterics by this part, and gave up singing.

Our laughter quickly died as we discovered four sets of eyes on us. All eight eyebrows were as high as their owners could get them. Emmett and I stared at them in embarrassment.

As soon as Edward cracked a slight smirk, I lost control and my heinous laughter erupted from me, causing the rest of the room to join in my hysterics.

Emmett popped his coffee cake into the oven once we calmed down, and I started a pot of coffee. I knew we would need it after the night we'd had.

We all talked while we waited for breakfast to finish baking. We girls were all shocked when Emmett's coffee cake turned out to be edible, and even more delicious than anything I could have made. We were sure to compliment him.

"Mom made me learn how to make it myself when I began to ask for it every weekend," he laughed.

"It's the only thing he knows how to make," Jasper added, causing Emmett to pout. Edward laughed at his brothers before turning towards me.

"Girls, go get ready. You don't need to shower, or get gussied up, just dress warm." He told us.

I looked at him questioningly.

"Nope," he replied, pulling me up from my chair. He kissed me softly then nudged me towards the stairs.

I gave him my best pouty face before trudging up the stairs behind the girls.

We could hear the guys laughing while they cleaned the kitchen. We dressed for cold weather as we were instructed.

The guys wandered upstairs once the kitchen was clean, and they too dressed warmly. Once everyone was dressed and ready to go, Edward led us outside.

"We're going to have to take two cars. Emmett, do you want to follow me?" Edward said, stopping next to the Volvo.

Emmett nodded silently. You could read in his eyes that he knew where we were going. Rose slugged him after he refused to tell us anything.

We divided up into vehicles and headed off. Edward stopped after about 20 minutes.

"Edward, are you having withdrawals from the thrill of the ER?" I asked in a teasing manner.

"Bella, I'm not going to let you get hurt, no matter how hard you try," He laughed, hugging me tightly.

I looked at the snow covered hill in front of us and gulped down the nerves that were creeping up on me. I could do this.

"Yes, you can do this," Edward replied to my not-so-silent thought.

He pulled me inside the building so that we could rent our sleds and inner tubes. I wandered around the small room while Edward filled out the forms and paid. I started flipping through all of the brochures.

As soon as I saw the brochure, I knew that this was the place I wanted to get married.

"Edward!" I whisper yelled in my excitement. He ran over to me with a worried expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" He rushed out as he looked me over. I giggled at the fact that he was assessing me. His brow furrowed in confusion, making me giggle even more.

He raised an eyebrow, silently asking for an explanation for my madness.

"Look," I explained, handing him the brochure. His eyes lit up in realization. He looked up at me, smiling brightly. I smiled back.

He picked me up and twirled me around the small room, earning the attention of everyone in said room. He kissed me quickly, but sweetly before placing me back on my feet.

When he realized that everyone in the room was watching us, he grasped my hand tightly.

"Sorry, my fiancé just found the perfect spot for us to hold our wedding!" He announced, causing me to blush and hide my face in his arm. The room filled with cheers of congratulations and well-wishes.

Edward finished the paperwork, and we joined our friends back outside.

"BlueBell, am I going to have to change your name to RedBell?" Emmett asked, making my face flame even more. I again hid my reddened face in Edward's arm.

Edward handed slips to everyone so that they could choose their method of death. Okay, maybe I was being dramatic, but I was not one for sledding.

The last time I had gone sledding, I ended up in a ditch. It wasn't pretty. It had been over 10 years since I tested my danger-magnet in this particular manner.

"I'll be with you the whole time," Edward murmured in my ear. I nodded, hoping to convey my trust in him. He grabbed the inner tube with one hand, kissed my forehead, and grabbed my hand with his free one.

We climbed to the top of the hill and Edward sat in the tube. He gestured for me to sit on his lap. I hesitated, my thoughts going back to my head meeting the side of the ditch, painfully.

"I'll protect you from yourself, Love," he joked. I laughed sarcastically and plopped down on his lap.

As soon as I was comfortable, Edward pushed us off. His arms wrapped around me tightly, protectively.

I soon forgot about my ditch worries, and laughed as we sailed down the hill. When we reached the bottom, Edward rolled us off the tube and into the snow.

As soon as everyone else reached the bottom, we began our trek back up the hill.

After several trips down, I was even riding solo on my own tube.

All of us girls had even crammed ourselves onto one tube. That trip down the hill was interesting. Alice fell off the top after only a few moments, giggling loudly.

I was the next to meet the cold snow, but instead of stopping easily like Alice did, I continued to roll down the hill, laughing the entire time.

When I finally came to a stop, Edward was by my side instantly.

"Are you okay, Love?" He asked frantically. I was laughing too hard to answer him. I tried to nod my head in response, but Edward was too worried to notice the small motion.

"What hurts?" He asked, again assessing me as he moved my limbs. This caused me to laugh even harder. Edward mistook my laugh as crying.

"I'm sorry, Love, but I need to see if anything is broken," he informed me as he gently moved my leg.

"Is there a hole in your bag of marbles? She's laughing!" Alice laughed as she walked up to us. Edward grasped my chin and gently turned my face toward him. He burst into laughter as soon as he saw for himself that I wasn't crying.

He sat back down on his tube, and pulled me onto his lap.

"I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person," Edward told Alice before pushing us down the hill. I heard Alice's laughter behind us as we sped away.

We were both still laughing when we reached the bottom.

Edward stood me up and hugged me tightly once he was up.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too," I replied before kissing him passionately. We were quickly entering the realm of not publicly appropriate.

"I want you," I panted. Edward grasped my hand and pulled me toward the area where the Volvo was parked. I removed my jacket as he ripped open the back door and climbed inside, pulling me in after him.

I was instantly straddling him, kissing him everywhere I could reach. I pulled his shirt off once I had kissed all of his exposed skin. My bra and shirt quickly joined his shirt, hanging haphazardly off the driver's seat.

Edward flipped us over so that I was sitting in the seat and began unbuttoning my pants. My hands moved to his jeans and began doing the same. We were soon completely exposed to each other.

Edward lay me down in the seat, kneeling between my open legs.

"Please, Edward," I begged.

"I love you," he whispered as he sheathed himself within me. I moaned loudly at the feeling of him inside me, thrusting my hips toward his.

"I love you, too," I said as he began moving his hips harmoniously with mine.

We were full of desire. It was passionate, and it was in the backseat of his Volvo. We were fulfilling a fantasy of Edward's.

"Oh, Bella," Edward murmured in my ear.

"Yes, Edward. You feel so good," I panted. I could tell he was close as his hand wandered down to tease my clit.

"Edward!" I cried out as I clamped around his manhood. He grunted as he tried to hold off on his release, still teasing my clit.

"Bella," he growled as he pulsed, spilling himself inside me.

"I love you," I reminded him.

"I love you, too," He replied, kissing me softly. After lying in each other's arms for a while, we gathered our clothes and put them back on. I left my coat in the car, and we joined our friends back on top of the hill.

They snickered knowingly at us as we approached them. I smiled lovingly at Edward, who hugged me tightly, kissing the top of my head.

"Come on RedBell! You're riding with me this trip!" Emmett bellowed, pulling me down next to him on the giant tube he had acquired. I blew Edward a kiss as we slid down the hill.

"I'm so happy you are going to be my sister," Emmett whispered when we stopped at the bottom.

"Ditto, Em, ditto," I replied, trying to prevent the tears from escaping. I hugged him tightly as our group joined as at the bottom.

We spent the entire day careening down the hill and trekking back to the top, but it was the most fun I'd had in a long time.

The drive back to the cabin was quiet and quick. We all parted ways after bidding each other goodnight. There were no dreams for me that night, and I figured it was due to complete and utter exhaustion.

**AN: I hope the long chapter made up for the wait! Did you guys enjoy the chapter? I know the lemon was short and quick, but it's better than no lemon, right?**


	31. Chapter 31: I Can See The Future

**Chapter Thirty-One: I Can See The Future**

**AN: *Insert another apology for my lack of updating.* Really guys, I'm sorry. School is kicking my badonkadonk right now. I have double the clinicals this month, so I'm just going to accept the fact that I won't be able to update as often. Please don't be mad at me, it won't make me update any faster.**

***HUGS* for my wonderful beta, T, for being so awesome and still beta-ing for us even though she had a shitball day. We love you T!**

**EPOV**

The rest of our time at the cabin was packed full of activities. The day after sledding, I had booked time at the spa for all four girls, which they loved, while we men folk stayed at the cabin.

We took a tram ride through _Northwest Wildlife Park_; we ate at _Summit House Restaurant_, admiring the beautiful view of the mountain as we dined. We watched the elk and bighorn sheep eat at _Oak Creek Wildlife Area_.

Bella absolutely loved watching the eagles. Seeing the joy on her face sent a flood of warmth through-out my entire body.

We also took a scenic train ride on _Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad._

Any time that wasn't spent gallivanting around, was spent relaxing with our best friends in the cabin. We ate, we drank, and we embarrassed the hell out of each other as often as possible.

I was sad to leave our little haven, but also excited to get back to Seattle and start looking for a house. I had a pretty good idea of what Bella would like, and I had been looking online at houses in the Seattle area. There were a few prospects that looked mighty good.

I had talked to Mom, who offered to help with the decorating, if Bella wanted her assistance.

Our appointment with the real estate agent was tomorrow, so Bella had been looking online at houses all day today.

I grabbed her coffee mug, filled it with the steaming black liquid, and added sugar and cream. I stirred it and placed the spoon in the sink before making my way to the computer room. I found Bella sitting in the computer chair, banging her head on the desk.

"Bella?" I questioned. "What's wrong, Love?"

"I can't find anything that even looks like something I would like," she grumbled. I peeked at the screen and noticed that the price range Bella was looking at was much lower than what we could afford.

She lifted her head to bang it on the desk once more, and I slipped my hand between her head and the desk, palm towards her head, to prevent her from hurting herself.

She pulled my hand from her head and kissed it before placing it in her lap, our fingers interwoven. Then she placed her head on the desk gently.

I pulled up another tab and navigated to my email. I glanced at the addresses for all of the places I had found and stopped at the one I had been looking for.

_807 Cantante Drive_

I clicked on the email and then the link provided.

I smiled when the pictures finished loading, and kissed the back of Bella's head.

"How about this one, Love?" I asked quietly. She slowly raised her head from the desk and looked up at me. She smiled and pulled on my hand, bringing my face down to hers. Her lips met mine softly, and our lips moved together fluently for a few minutes before I pulled away.

I couldn't wait to see her reaction to this house. I knew it was going to be the one for us. It was perfect.

I watched as her eyes moved toward the computer screen. They widened at first, and I wasn't sure if it was because she saw the price of the house, or because she liked the pictures she saw.

She unknowingly answered my question when she clicked on the pictures to zoom in. She went through the pictures quickly and then started back at the beginning of the slide show, and took her time with each picture.

I watched her face as her eyes got a far-away look, and I hoped that she was seeing what I saw when I looked at the pictures.

When I looked at the picture of the backyard, I saw a pregnant Bella pushing a little girl on a swing set, and a little boy playing in the sand.

When I looked at the master bedroom, I pictured Bella sleeping peacefully as the morning light danced on her face. In the master bathroom, I saw Bella getting ready for the day while I stood next to her shaving.

When I looked at the spare bedroom, I saw Bella in a rocking chair with a small, delicate baby in her arms.

In the kitchen, I saw us cooking with children laughing at the table. In front of the fireplace, I saw us making love.

On the front porch, I saw Bella and I curled up in the swing, our hands on her swollen belly, both of our left ring fingers adorned with rings.

I looked down at Bella to see her looking at me with tear-filled eyes.

"I love it," she whispered. "Can we afford that?" She asked pointing toward the computer screen. She glanced quickly at the computer screen before her eyes connected again with mine. I crouched down so that my face was even with hers.

"We can more than afford it, Love," I replied, kissing her softly. She wrapped her arms around my neck tightly and kissed me heatedly. I stood up, quickly pulling her up with me. Her legs wrapped around my waist.

I held her tightly to me with one arm as I used the other arm to carelessly remove everything from a section of the desk. In one swift motion, all of the papers, pens, and supplies clattered to the floor.

I set Bella down on the now cleared area of the desk and grabbed her face gently as my tongue probed her mouth hungrily.

Her hands came down to the hem of my shirt and began pulling it up slowly. I broke away from her lips to quickly remove my shirt then pull hers off as well.

I was happy to see that she wasn't wearing a bra under the shirt she had been wearing. I stopped for a moment and turned back toward the open door. I picked up our shirts looking at the C-U that was showing on the shirt I had removed from Bella.

Since the door didn't lock, I dropped the shirts outside the door in the hopes that it would deter anyone from opening the door if they returned. I shut the door and hurried back over to Bella.

I noticed quickly that she had already finished undressing and was waiting for me. Her legs were spread and she was using her hand to rub slow circles on her pleasure button. I nearly came as I saw the light sparkle off her engagement ring as she pleasured herself.

I tripped trying to get my pants off and get over to her at the same time, landing on my knees in front of Bella. I could smell her arousal.

I hobbled the rest of the way to her on my knees, kissing the inside of each thigh as I pulled her hand away. I flicked my tongue out teasingly, causing her to gasp loudly.

I pulled her closer to the edge of the desk then plunged my tongue inside her. She moaned loudly as my tongue worked her. I moved my tongue up to her clit, my fingers finding their way inside her, curling at just the right angle.

I pumped my fingers as my tongue swirled around her clit, until she came, screaming my name loudly.

She pulled me up and kissed me passionately. As our tongues moved together, I slowly slid inside her wet heat. We both moaned at the feeling. I held still for a few moments, just enjoying the feeling of being surrounded by Bella.

Her heels dug into my backside and she ground herself against me, silently begging me to move. So I did.

I moved in and out slowly at first, and then picking up speed gradually. We moved together until we were both screaming out in pleasure as we came simultaneously. I stayed inside of her and we continued to kiss sensually, enjoying the post-coital euphoria.

After a few more minutes, I picked her up, causing myself to pull out of her. I carried her to the bathroom and we shared a shower where the washing of bodies wasn't the only thing happening.

I couldn't wait for tomorrow. I knew that we would be making an offer on the house tomorrow, and I was going to make an offer they couldn't refuse.

**AN: Yes, I suck for not updating as often as we all wish I could. I know it, you know it, we all know it. But I am sorry. This is normally the part where I tell you that the next update should be soon, but I don't know that it will be, so no empty promises here guys!**

**Links (You know what to do with them!):**

http://www(dot)skicrystal(dot)com/Activities/Dining/78/Summit-House-Restaurant

http://www(dot)nwtrek(dot)org/

http://wdfw(dot)wa(dot)gov/lands/wildlife_areas/oak_?searchby=unit&search=Oak%20Creek

http://mrsr(dot)rezgo(dot)com/tour


	32. Chapter 32: Our House

**AN: Thank you to all of my reviewers and readers! I want to send a shout-out to Lizzie2325. You review EVERY chapter of BOTH stories, and I love you for it. You already know how awesome your reviews are!**

**Eclipse trailer…. AHHHHH! I'm so excited… and I just can't hide it…. I'm about to lose control and I think I like it… **

**Also, I haven't added this part to my AN for a while, so I thought I would remind everyone that I own nothing, but I do have a husband that lets me practice starting IV's on him! : )**

**Addendum: I now own Edward! Hehe, okay, so he's made of plastic, but my hubby is awesome for buying it for me… and for no reason at all! : ) Yes, I am one lucky bitchmac.**

**I am also going to send some love out my beta for being the bitchmac-iest beta in the universe of fanfic.**

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Our House**

**BPOV**

I was bouncing in my seat excitedly as we pulled into the driveway.

_807 Cantante Drive_

I had fallen in love with the house after simply looking at the pictures.

I knew this would be the place for us. Everything about it was absolutely amazing. I don't think we could have come up with something this perfect had we designed it ourselves.

The real estate agents car was already here, so I kissed Edward quickly and jumped out of the car. I grabbed Edward's hand and walked up to the front door as quickly as I could without risking injury.

I'm sure I resembled Alice on Black Friday in all of my excitement, but how could I not be excited about this?

We had barely stepped onto the front deck before the front door swung open.

"Hello, I'm Makenna. I spoke to you on the phone Mr. Cullen." The woman on the other side of the door offered her hand to Edward.

"Hello Makenna. Please call me Edward, and this is my fiancée, Bella." Edward shook her hand then gestured to me. I shook Makenna's hand as well and she ushered us inside.

I thought I loved the house by looking at the pictures that were featured online, but that was nothing compared to how much I loved it after seeing it in person.

It was spectacular, and I knew that it was the house for us.

I had never been much of a decorator; I preferred to leave my bedroom plain white, and hang simple pictures around the room, but I couldn't help but design each room we walked through.

The hardest room was the room that would be a nursery. I kept trying to imagine how it would look, but every picture I came up with contained two cribs. I couldn't figure out why, so I gave up trying and moved on to the next room.

Makenna finished the indoor tour and led us to the beautiful backyard. I knew where the swing set would go, as well as the sandbox, and the garden. I could even picture the large patio table that would sit on the deck.

"I'll give you guys some time alone," Makenna said after pointing out some highlights of the spacious yard.

I turned to Edward as soon as I heard the back door close. The smile on his face was brilliant, but I doubted that it compared to the smile that graced mine.

He grabbed me into a hug and spun me around happily.

"This is it. You agree, right?" He asked, setting me gently on my feet. I nodded enthusiastically and pressed my lips to his tightly. I could feel the corners of his lips curve into a smile against mine and I smiled in return.

"We can afford it, right?" I asked, a moment of sobriety overtaking my happiness.

"We can more than afford it," he answered, bringing back my smile.

He grasped my hand in his and pulled me back into the house. Makenna was waiting for us in the living room.

"We'll take it!" He exclaimed. Makenna smiled brightly and pulled a folder from her briefcase. We followed her into the kitchen as she opened the folder, spreading its content across the countertop.

We finished the paperwork quickly and Makenna said she would fax our offer immediately when she returned to her office, and let us know when she heard something.

We climbed back in the Volvo and took a long look at the house before pulling out of the driveway.

"Want some ice cream?" Edward asked, cheer evident in his voice and on his face.

"Absolutely, but what for?" I asked. Edward chuckled lightly before he answered.

"In celebration of finding our perfect house of course," he chuckled again. He picked up my hand, held it in his, and kissed the back of it.

I sighed happily, sinking comfortably into the seat, picturing our life together.

**EPOV**

I kept stealing glances at Bella as I drove, her eyes closed and a happy smile on her face.

I couldn't wait to hear back from Makenna about the house, but I strongly doubted that our offer would be refused. We were paying asking price and paying all closing costs, so it was quite the deal.

I parked in the lot of the ice cream shop and watched Bella. Her eyes remained closed, and the smile seemed to be carved on her face.

She suddenly opened her eyes, blushing as she realized we had been parked for a few minutes.

"Sorry," she blushed more.

"No worries, the view was extraordinary," I said, running my fingers along her reddened cheek, causing the red to deepen even more.

I chuckled and opened my door, rushing around to her side before she could open her own.

I helped her out of the car, and held her hand in mine, our fingers intertwined. It was a perfect fit.

We ordered our ice cream, and ate it as we talked about the future. We decided we didn't want a long engagement, and would be married on August 13th.

While that was only about six months away, it seemed like it would take forever.

We finished our ice cream and hopped back into my car, opting to head to TPP. Bella and I each had 'supplies' at each other's places, so we would alternate where we stayed.

Bella kissed me before jumping out of the car to go pick on Emmett. I chuckled as I watched her run up the steps on the porch, thankful that she stayed upright.

I followed her into the house, but at a much slower and calmer pace. Bella was sitting on the couch next to Emmett, beating him at his favorite video game, _Halo 3._ She never failed to amaze me.

I silently laughed at the frown on Emmett's face and turned to hang my jacket on the hook.

As I turned, I noticed the answering machine light blinking rapidly, signaling one new message.

I pressed play.

"Edward, this is Makenna. I was just calling to let you know that the seller accepted your offer and said we can close as soon as next week. Give me a call back so we can schedule a closing time. Talk to you later." I whooped in excitement, causing Bella to rush into the room, a confused line forming on her forehead.

"They accepted our offer!" I yelled, much too loud. She screamed in response, jumping into my arms. I twirled her around in the same way I had on the deck of the house, listening to her joyous laughter.

I kissed her passionately, slowly making my way to my bedroom. We didn't notice Emmett on the couch, a triumphant smile on his face, 'You Win' flashing brightly on the screen.

We didn't notice Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper all watching us as we passed them in the dining room.

We did notice the way we felt together, the way we were meant to be.

**AN: Quick reminder, TPP stands for The Penis Palace, lovingly named by Emmett. (From chapter 25…) **

**BTW~ Have you seen Blindside? AWESOME movie! **

**Sorry for the super-duper long AN at the beginning, but I had a lot to say.**


	33. Chapter 33: You've Got A Friend

**WHAT? AN UPDATE?**

**AN: Here I am. My life right now is like one of those **_**VW UnPimp Your Auto **_**commercials… It's definitely sucking.**

**No ownage of anything Twilight here. I'm going to go cry now…**

**I'm not sure where my beta is, so this chapter in unbeta'd… I figured you guys would be okay with that and just be happy that I am actually updating. : )**

**Chapter Thirty-Three: You've Got A Friend**

Our closing date on the house came and went quickly, and today was moving day. The whole crew was going to be helping us, including Jake and Leah. I had missed having Jake around, playing the part of the over-protective big brother.

We hadn't seen much of him or Leah since returning from the cabin. We had all been quite busy making up for the time we had taken off of work. And about a week after we returned, Jake and Leah took their own little vacation.

We were going to have a giant barbeque at our house tonight, with all of our friends once the unpacking was finished.

We already had bought furniture, which had been delivered. All that we needed to do was bring our boxes from our respective houses to our new house to unpack. Clothes, pictures, books, and computers were really the only things we were bringing with us to the new house.

Edward's piano was also coming with us.

We bought a new bed, and our old beds would go into guest bedrooms. I was thankful that we had the ability to by new furniture, even if I had originally argued with Edward about it.

He finally got me to agree when he said that this was the beginning of our life together, and he wanted to start it with things that were OURS, not his and mine.

I pulled myself out of my thoughts, tossing my shower items into the box then folding down the flaps and scrawling BATHROOM across the top in black sharpie.

I returned the marker to my pocket and picked up the box. I carried it down the stairs carefully, and placed it on top of the growing pile of boxes by the front door.

Edward was at the guy's place doing the same thing. They would load up his boxes then head over here to pick up mine, and we would be on our way to our new home.

Home. I finally felt like when I used the word, I really meant it.

My parent's houses had been considered home, but this was different. It was like the previous homes I'd had were by default. This was my home because it was where I belonged.

And, as cliché as it was, home is where my heart is, with Edward. Always with Edward.

I wiped my hands on my pants and wandered the house, looking for my girls. I found them gathered around the dining room table, all three of them teary-eyed. My own eyes watered, thinking about how I may not see them every day.

I sniffled lightly causing all three of them to look up at me. They were instantly out of their chairs and I was engulfed in a giant group hug, filled with sniffles and tears.

"We'll still get together as often as possible," Rose said, trying to cheer everyone up. We all nodded in agreement and squeezed each other tightly.

Our teary circle was broken by a throat clearing behind me. We all jumped at the sudden intrusion and turned to look at the intruder. Jake was standing at the entrance to the dining room with Leah standing next to him shyly.

We opened our arms and Jake quickly joined in our embrace, leaving Leah standing awkwardly in the doorway. I opened the circle between Jake and I for her to join in, which she slowly did.

Our circle's tears were quickly replaced with laughter.

"Think about it this way, girls. Now you won't have any more weekly trips to the ER." Jake joked, causing everyone around me to snicker.

"You won't have to listen to crazy stories about marrying a pineapple, or making sure the ducks feed the hermit crab when she's asleep." The snickers from the group turned into laughter, and I joined in, blushing brightly.

"The only sad thing is that Alice and Rose can't cook for shit," he finished, causing Alice and Rose to scowl for moment before joining in our amusement.

"Yeah, how come you got the good cook?" Emmett complained from behind us. I looked behind me to see Emmett looking at Edward pointedly, Jasper in between them.

I pulled away from the group and hugged Edward tightly.

"Hello, Love. Are you ready?" He asked, hugging me securely. I pressed a quick kiss to his lips before nodding happily.

Excitement coursed through my veins at the very thought of spending tonight in our house.

I looked up at his smiling face and knew his thoughts were on the same train as mine. We were careening down the track, destination… happiness.

Our circle quickly dispersed after the guys arrived, and the guys began taking apart my bed as us girls began carting boxes into the truck. The guys loaded my bed into the truck, piece by piece followed by the boxes containing my things.

There weren't very many boxes, so it didn't take very long to get everything loaded and we were on our way. Edward drove the moving truck and I followed with my truck, Emmett tailing behind me.

I pulled in front of the house and put the truck in park, jumping out excitedly and running up to the front door, enjoying the jingle of the keys in my hand.

I propped the door open and headed back out to start carrying in boxes from the truck. Once all the boxes were in, I gave the girls a tour and we started unpacking while the guys carried in the beds.

I was so thankful for all of the help Esme had given us in preparing for today. Because of her help, all we had to do was unpack the boxes and set up the beds in the spare rooms, and the moving in process was complete.

It didn't take long for us to accomplish these tasks and congregate on the back porch. I made some tea and carried the pitcher and glasses out back.

Everyone was gathered on the porch, talking and laughing, probably at something Emmett had said or done. I poured two glasses of tea, motioning for everyone to help themselves and walked over to Edward.

He was leaning against the railing of the deck, so I sidled up next to him. He wrapped an arm around me tightly, hugging me to him as he took the second glass of tea from me.

"Thank you, Love," he whispered against my head after chugging nearly half the glass.

I sighed contentedly in his arms as I looked out at our backyard and listened to our friends laughing behind us.

This was my happiness.

**AN: I'm sorry for the delay in the update. I know I have been saying that a lot, but I can assure you that my reasons are valid. I'm not sure when the next update will be.**

**Honestly, I have not been in the right frame of mind to write a happy love story. I don't want to ruin my story by letting my doom and gloom seep into KOTS. I can't do that to you guys.**


	34. Chapter 34: Hold That Thought

**AN: Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. The FanFictional Citrus Service of FF. net has issued a…LEMON WARNING for readers of KOTS. The safest place to be in light of a LEMON WARNING is in private, with a towel and fresh undies. If you are in the path of this storm, please take precautions immediately. Please stay tuned. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. **

**Video for the song in the chapter: http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=N9UukiyDg7c**

**The girl in the video plays Leah Clearwater in Eclipse!**

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Hold That Thought**

**EPOV**

_Close your eyes and picture this  
Lying in bed in the candlelight  
We start to kiss  
Pulling your body in close to mine  
Now picture us  
That moment before we make love_

Our lives had easily molded into a routine after we moved into our house. I loved coming home and knowing that Bella was waiting for me.

Okay, maybe she wasn't waiting for me, but I knew I was going to OUR house. Not mine. OURS.

It's hard to understand the significance of this, without experiencing it for yourself. It just felt right. It was as if I had been doing it wrong up until this point, just because she wasn't there before.

I'd had a gruesome week at work, and Bella had been busy working with the publishers, trying to get things figured out so that they could go ahead with the publishing.

It was Friday night, we were free all weekend, and I couldn't wait to get home to my Bella.

_Now Hold that thought  
Hold it right there  
Let your mind keep running wild  
Till I get there  
Just imagine  
Me loving on you all night long  
When you see it, feel it  
Girl are you there yet_

_Now hold that thought_

While checking my cell phone during a lull in patients this afternoon, I had opened a picture message from Bella.

After picking my jaw off the floor, and wiping the drool from my chin, I'd had to go take care of a certain problem in my pants.

I'd nearly run to the bathroom in the doctor's lounge, and after freeing myself from my boxers, I decided to one up her.

Bella had sent me a picture of herself in a sexy negligee. I grasped my erection in one hand, and snapped a picture with my other. I quickly saved the picture and brought up the picture from Bella's message.

I imagined what I would do to her if I was with her as I brought myself relief. I cleaned myself up, and sent Bella the picture I had taken of myself, telling her to be ready for me when I got home.

_I wish that I was already home  
Cause girl I've been thinking about tonight  
All day long  
So why don't you lay back and fantasize  
About me and you  
And everything we're gonna do_

I had purposely avoided looking at my phone after that, fearing that Bella would have upped the ante again, but it didn't stop my imagination from running wild with the things I wanted to do to her.

I sported a semi the rest of the day, and now that I was in my car, on my way to my Bella, I was rock hard.

The picture from Bella that I ignored all day certainly assisted in my arousal, and I was thankful that I waited until I was alone in the car to look at it.

It was nearly the same picture as before, only this time, Bella was completely naked. I was so flustered after looking at the picture, that I turned the key in the ignition, cringing as I heard the starter grind. I hadn't even realized the car was already running.

_And hold that thought  
Hold it right there  
Let your mind keep running wild  
Till I get there  
Just imagine  
Me loving on you all night long  
When you see it, feel it  
Girl are you there yet_

Now hold that thought

I'm pretty sure I broke every speed limit on the drive home, and I was thankful that I hadn't gotten pulled over. I wouldn't have wanted to explain why I was sporting a hard on while getting a ticket. Though more importantly, it would have meant that much longer until I could have Bella.

I haphazardly pulled into the garage, thankful that I hadn't hit anything in my haste to get in the house. I pulled the keys from the ignition and tossed them onto the passenger seat, leaving everything there and running into the house.

I maneuvered around the house, searching for my Bella. Living room… empty. Kitchen and dining room… empty.

As I ascended the stairs I could hear music coming from our bedroom. I knew this was where I would find Bella.

_Just imagine  
Me loving on you all night long  
I can see it, feel it  
Girl are you there yet_

I opened the door, expecting to see Bella waiting for me on the bed, but the bed was empty.

I searched all the rest of the rooms in the upstairs, coming up empty each and every time. I slowly walked back downstairs, my eyebrows pulled together in confusion until I caught sight of the door to the music room.

A triumphant grin spread across my face as I jumped down the remaining steps. I threw the door open, pulling my scrub top off as I stalked toward the most glorious sight in the world.

Bella was sitting on the lid to the piano, her legs spread, feet resting on the piano bench. The black lace bra and panties she was wearing was a beautiful contrast to her flawless skin.

I stopped just inside the doorway, silently taking her in. Looking from head to toe at every amazing inch of her. The space between us quickly shrank as I moved toward my Bella.

_Now hold that thought  
Now hold that thought  
Cause girl I'm almost home_

"I've wanted you all day long," I whispered before my lips met hers passionately.

Bella lifted one of her legs and I slid onto the piano bench, our lips never parting. I pulled her onto my lap and we both groaned as she came into contact with my erection through the thin scrub pants I was wearing.

I moaned loudly as she ground herself into me while our tongues danced together. My hand slid from her silky hair down the soft skin of her back, stopping when it met the black fabric of her bra. I unhooked it and yanked it off as quickly as I could without harming Bella.

I groaned as I felt her hardened nipples brush against my chest and pulled her tightly to me. We kissed fervently as she repeatedly ground her hips into me, both of our moans filling the silent room.

She pulled away from me, reaching her hand between us to untie my scrubs. She sat back on the piano and I lifted my hips so she could pull them down, taking my boxers down with them.

My hands found her panties and they found themselves on the floor with the rest of our clothes.

Bella sat back down on my lap, but this time she sat with a noticeable distance between our hips. I looked up at her, a frown on my face, and she smirked playfully before closing the distance.

I gasped as her wet heat met my erection, and my hips bucked toward her. My god was she wet. She ground her hips into mine several times before she lifted herself from my lap, her hand grasping my erection tightly, preparing us for the most breathtaking feeling in the world.

She slid onto me slowly. Almost tortuously slow, but I remained still, relishing in the sensations of our joining together.

"Bella," I moaned as she slid the last inch. I grasped her hips tightly, holding her to me and holding her still. I stared into her eyes as I held her motionless above me, knowing my eyes were showing her all of the love I felt for her.

No words needed to be said, as I could see her love for me dancing in her eyes.

The damn of passion broke, and our lips met in a fiery kiss just as I released my hold on her hips, allowing her to move freely. My hands wandered underneath her butt and I helped her move over me. Up and down. Up and down.

Our loud moans filled the silent room, and reverberated off the bare walls. The echoes of our passion spurred us on.

Our movements were frantic, pent up desire that had been building all day fueled the fire, and before long we were both breathlessly calling out each other's names as we climaxed.

Our passionate kiss continued long after our orgasms ended and once I finally regained the use of my legs, I carried my Bella up to our bedroom where we continued to silently show each other how deep our love went.

**AN: Well, what did you think my lovelies? I hope this makes up for the huge delay in updates… Maybe? : )**

**Thank you T, for being a super-duper-awesome beta!**


	35. Chapter 35: We Are Family

**AN: I love you guys, and I can't apologize enough for the delay in my updating. I'm going to be honest and tell you that my husband and I have been having problems. I've discovered it's impossible to write a love story when your HEA feels like its falling apart. We are working on things, and they are a lot better. : )**

**BTW ~ We all know that Twilight doesn't belong to me, no matter how happy that would make me. And thank you to my wonderful T for being patient with me and listening to me bitching. You are Rob-tastic babe!**

**I also have a FFn facebook page now, so you can see the beautiful new banner, and get a heads up for when an update might be happening!**

**http:/www . facebook . com/JoeMomma1214#!id=100001607272007**

**Chapter Thirty-Five: We Are Family**

**BPOV**

I rushed around the house, frantically tidying up, dusting, and vacuuming. The cookies were cooling in the kitchen, and the dishes were next on my list.

Edward's cousin, Tanya, was coming to visit with her children. Her husband, Laurent, was stuck at work, so he wouldn't be visiting.

The children, Jane and Alec, were five and one, and I couldn't wait to watch Edward interact with them.

I quickly finished the cleaning and dishes and hopped into the shower. After I finished getting ready, I paced the entryway waiting for Edward to get home from work. I opened the front door after hearing a car door, and smiled brightly at Edward as he walked up the driveway.

He looked gorgeous, as always. He wasn't wearing his scrubs, so I knew he'd showered before he left work.

He scooped me up in his arms, hugging me tightly and spinning in a circle as he kissed me.

"I'd like a greeting like that every day," I said, half-joking. Edward smirked as he led me back to his car and opened the door for me.

The drive to the airport was quick, and we made our way inside, stopping only to find out which baggage claim they would need to retrieve their luggage from.

We found it easily and grabbed some seats to wait. The flight was on time and would be arriving in about 15 minutes.

"How was your day?" I asked him as we waited.

"We were busy, and it was serious busy. We had several MI's, a stroke, and a couple car wrecks." He informed me. By now, I knew all the terms he would use. MI meant myocardial infarction, or heart attack.

"The medics did a great job with the patients they brought in today, which helps me out greatly." Edward added after a pause. I smiled at his praise of the fire department guys, and rested my head on his shoulder.

"How about yours?" He asked after kissing the top of my head.

"Good, but busy. I cleaned the entire house, and baked cookies, and I even found a little bit of time to write." I yawned behind my hand mid-sentence, causing Edward to chuckle softly as he wrapped his arm around me.

He ran his fingers through my hair as we sat, silently waiting. I was nearly asleep when Edward gently roused me and informed me that their flight had landed and was de-boarding. I nodded and stretched, taking his offered hand to help me stand.

We waited for a few more minutes before people started arriving at the carousel.

I would have easily recognized her without having seen her picture. She looked so much like Esme. Edward had already told me that Esme and Irina, Tanya's mother, were identical twins.

Edward and I rushed over to her, Edward grabbing her carry on and giving her a tight hug.

"Tanya, I would like you to meet my fiancé, Bella. Bella, this is my cousin Tanya." I offered her my left hand since her right was grasping a baby carrier. She gently swatted my hand away and pulled me into a one-armed hug that I returned willingly.

"She's beautiful Edward, just like you said. This is Jane, and this little sleepy head is Alec." She said, gesturing to the precious blonde child at her side, then the chubby cheeked baby, asleep in the carrier.

"They're both adorable," I said kneeling down to Jane's level.

"It's nice to meet you Jane. You are a beautiful young lady." I said as I offered her my hand. She shook it meaningfully.

"Nice to meet you too." She said, letting go of my hand and grasping Edward's.

When the baggage claim beeped and began its slow circle, Jane refused to relinquish Edward's hand, so he took Alec's carrier from Tanya. Tanya and I worked through the crowd that had gathered around the carousel. We both pulled bags off the conveyor, her pointing out which ones I needed to grab.

I was absolutely amazed at how much luggage she had brought. My shock must have been evident because I heard Tanya chuckle. It was so similar to Edward's, just more feminine and soft.

"Once you have children, traveling lightly is a thing of the past," she chuckled again picking up some of the bags that were surrounding us. I picked up the rest, trying not to hit anyone with what I assumed was a portable crib.

An older couple scowled at me as I squeezed around them, apologizing profusely as I pulled everything closer to my body.

Edward had garnered a luggage cart while we were waiting for the bags, and I added my load. Tanya picked up Alec's carrier as Edward sat Jane on the top of the luggage piled up on the cart. Tanya and I each stood on a side of the cart as Edward pushed from behind, Jane's beautiful little giggles bringing smiles to the faces of everyone we passed.

I couldn't help but smile widely at Edward as he stopped at our car. He kissed me chastely on the lips and unlocked the car so we could load the kids. I picked up Jane and went to the side I knew we'd placed the booster seat on.

Tanya smiled widely at me as she locked Alec's carrier into the base we'd installed in the center of the backseat. We'd studied all the pictures we could of the kids while they were in their car seats so that we could buy the right ones for the time they were visiting.

Our drive home didn't take long once we got out of the airport. We quickly unloaded the kids and took them inside were they could play. After being cooped up in the airplane, and then the car, we were sure they had excess energy.

Between the three of us, it didn't take long to unload the car. We showed Tanya her room, and offered her a second bedroom for the kid's beds. We'd bought a small inflatable children's princess bed for Jane so we offered that to Tanya as well.

Tanya hugged us both tightly thanking us repeatedly for everything we'd done for them. We all headed downstairs to work on supper, and help rid the kids of some pent-up energy. Our evening passed quickly, and before long we were issuing Good Nights, and heading to bed.

Cuddling in bed with Edward that night, I couldn't wait for us to have our own children.

**AN: Well, I know nothing really awesome happened, but I didn't make Tanya evil (which was my original plan).**

**School is unbelievably busy right now, so I make no promises about the next chapter, other than big things are going to be happening. **

**The title of the next chapter: Before He Cheats **

**Is anyone worried? (Reviews will get you a teaser!)**


	36. Chapter 36: Before He Cheats

**AN: Is anyone still with me? Thanks for sticking with me guys; I know I have totally sucked at updating. ; ) But, I think this is the longest chapter yet!**

**Chapter Thirty-Six: Before He Cheats**

**BPOV**

Our time with Tanya and the kids passed quickly. We used up all of Edward's days off by taking the kids to _The Children's Museum, Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle Bug Safari, Fun Forest Amusement Park, _and every park close to the house.

I absolutely loved watching Edward with the kids. He was always so patient and loving, proving true my thoughts about him making an excellent father. I would catch him smiling goofily at me when I would interact with the one of the children.

Edward was currently at work, and Tanya and I were setting up a board game with Jane while Alec took a nap. We were going to play _Scooby-Doo Monopoly_. Jane evidently loved watching the show.

"I want to be _Daphne_!" she exclaimed loudly, grasping her piece tightly in her small hand.

"I'll be-" Tanya started, only to be interrupted by a small voice telling her that she had to be _Fred_. She agreed happily, and there were no objections to my being _Shaggy_. He was always my favorite.

We were about thirty minutes into our game when Tanya's cell phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID, smiling brightly at what she saw.

"Hi Laurent," she said happily, Jane perking up beside her at her father's name. Her face was clouded by confusion momentarily before she looked up at me with teary eyes.

"Jane, sweetie, why don't you go play in the living room for a little while?" I suggested. She happily hopped down from her chair and skipped into the living room.

I squeezed the hand that Tanya had resting on the table, clenched in a tight fist. Her teary eyes met mine again and she shook her head sadly, causing the tears to start cascading down her ghostly white cheeks.

She held the phone out for me and I used my free hand to hold the phone up to my ear. Immediately I could tell that what was going on at the other end of the line was rated X. I could hear loud moaning, both feminine and masculine. There was a rhythmic slapping of skin behind the chorus of breathy moans.

And then I heard the worst thing. A woman's voice screaming as she… well, you can imagine.

Only she wasn't just screaming. She was screaming his name. Laurent.

My eyes shot up to Tanya's at the sound. I knew instantly that she'd heard. Her tears were falling quickly now as she cried silently. And then the slapping intensified. Faster. Louder. More moaning.

I hung up the phone and raced around the table, hugging Tanya tightly as her tears soaked my shirt. Her cries became louder as I held her. She attempted talking, but her words were lost between gut wrenching sobs. I continued to hold her, rocking us slightly, hoping I was comforting her somewhat in spite of the emotional tidal wave that threatened to overwhelm her spirit in lieu of her husband's infidelity.

I don't know how long we sat like that, but we both had dried tear stains on our cheeks when we finally pulled away from each other.

"You and the kids are welcome to stay here as long as you'd like, and Edward and I will help you with whatever you need." I assured her. She nodded her head determinedly as she stood from the table. She cast a quick glance at her phone before picking it up and dropping it into the garbage can.

"Can you guys watch the kids for a few days?" She asked. I assured her that we would be happy to watch them for her.

"Do you want someone to come with you?" I asked before she left the dining room.

"No. I'll only be gone long enough to start divorce proceedings and get our things out of the house. Can you give me the number for your real estate agent here in Seattle?" I handed her the card which was handily hanging on the fridge. She clasped it tightly in her hand and pulled me into another hug.

"Do you want me to drive you to the airport?" I asked as pulled back. She shook her head and asked me to call her a cab.

"I'll get another phone at the airport and call you guys when I get there. I'm going to go talk to Jane a minute." She said, with one last hug and a kiss to my cheek. I gave her a few minutes of privacy before I entered the living room.

Jane was crying softly, hugging Tanya tightly.

"You're going to stay here for a few days with Uncle Edward and Aunt Bella, and then Mommy will be back here with you and Alec, okay?" Tanya was talking softly, but I could still hear her words in the silent house.

Jane nodded and loosened her grip on her mother. Tanya ran upstairs to kiss Alec before leaving the house with only her purse, and the pieces of her shattered heart.

A shrill ring echoed throughout the quiet house, and I instantly recognized the ringtone as belonging to Tanya's phone. I retrieved it from the garbage, and saw Laurent's name on the display. I silenced the ringtone, and placed the phone on the counter.

As soon as it stopped ringing, I turned the ringtone to silent and placed it on top of the refrigerator. Jane wandered into the kitchen and informed me that she was hungry, so I began cooking some spaghetti for supper.

Alec woke while I was cooking, and was mildly upset that Tanya was gone. He was thankfully easy to calm, with help from Jane. They both ate supper, and we headed upstairs for bath time.

The kids had a great time splashing in the tub, and I'm pretty sure that most of the water ended up on me. After they had their pajamas on, we all settled into the giant bed that Tanya and the kids had been using, and Jane handed me the book she wanted me to read.

_What good is a moose? Agate thinks to himself, as he mopes at the edge of a lake. He looks like a tinker toy project gone wrong, he feels like a big brown mistake. _

_He thinks of his friends as sparkling gems, beautiful, talented, bright. Oh, how he'd like to shine like them. Agate sighs. It just isn't right._

_A major star in the film Peter Pan, this guy is famous for smiles. Agate's lopsided grin could scarcely compare with Garnet the crocodile's._

_With a built-in squirt gun for spraying her back and gigantic fans for ears, five-ton Amethyst always stays cool. She'll live 80 tremendous years._

_The sea provides his sushi bar, his drinking water, too. Aquamarine surfs and dives, enjoying his ocean view._

_What good is a moose? Compared to such gems, Agate feels like a nondescript rock. Too big, with loose lips and knobbly knees, each leg like rocks in a sock._

_Diamond reaches food that no one else can. He sees for miles, he's so tall. With his long, long legs, he can run really fast. Agate feels awkward and small…_

The children were softly snoring, so I closed my eyes for just a minute. The book slipped out of my hands and fell silently onto the mattress.

**EPOV**

I'd had another shitty day. Work had been killer, and I'd had to spend even more time away from my family. I glanced at my watch again to see that another hour had passed. Three hours had passed since the end of my shift, yet I was still here. I wrote the discharge orders for my last patient, and put the chart up for the nurse.

I told the other docs I was leaving and bid everyone goodnight. I quickly changed my clothes and nearly ran out to my car. I sped home quickly, just barely obeying the speed limit signs as I passed them.

I pulled in the driveway and noticed that our bedroom light wasn't on. Odd. Bella always leaves the lamp on if I'm working late. I quietly unlocked the front door, and tiptoed up the stairs, pausing briefly to set my keys on the table as I passed it.

I heard a quiet whimper as I neared the spare bedroom. I curiously peeked into the room to find Bella asleep in bed with Jane and Alec. She'd placed a pillow beside Alec so that he couldn't roll off of the bed. Both Alec and Jane had curled up with Bella and were sleeping soundly.

I picked Alec up and gently placed him in his portable crib. He rolled slightly, brought his tiny little thumb up to his mouth, and began sucking greedily on it. I grabbed a spare blanket from the closet and covered up the two beauties sleeping on the bed.

I kissed Bella softly on the head before climbing into bed and wrapping my arm around her without disturbing Jane. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow, dreaming sweet dreams of beautiful children that had characteristics similar to both Bella's and mine.

Alec woke before Bella and Jane did, hungry for a bottle. I had been so tired last night that I didn't even notice the absence of Tanya, but it was blaringly obvious when I couldn't find her to quiet Alec's miserable cries for his "Ma."

I was thankful that I had been helping out with the kids, so I knew how Tanya made his bottles. It took him a while to finally accept it, still upset that Tanya wasn't here. He would accept bottles from both Bella and I, but Tanya was normally with us when we fed him. He noticed her absence, and he was not pleased.

Once he finally started eating, he finished the bottle quickly, his large gulps echoing in the silent room. I walked around the room as I burped him. His fussing must have worn him out because I heard his soft snores before he finally burped. I turned to return him to his crib to find Bella in the doorway with tears in her eyes.

She followed me to Alec's crib and we both kissed his head before I placed him inside. Then Bella pulled me into the living room and explained the reason behind Tanya's absence. I immediately got the contact information for Felix. I knew we would need him.

**AN: You guys didn't really think Edward would cheat, did you? Any guesses as to what exactly it is that Felix does?**


End file.
